Guyana Times Daily

Elections fever heats up!

One dead, another critical in WBD smashup

GECOM to resuscitate

Media

Monitoring Unit

Granger pleads ignorance on missing GDF guns

Man critical after ‘kero’ stove exploded on him

Police release ice manufacturer accused of power theft

Alleged killers of Lusignan teen for court today

Granger pleads ignorance on missing GDF guns

… President insists he must know

By Jomo Paul

Following calls from

President Donald Ramotar for the Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), David Granger, to be responsible and return 155 guns that were transferred to the party in the 1970s, Granger insists that he knows nothing of the guns.

The fifth session of public hearings at the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry (CoI) revealed that 237 weapons were issued to Wilfred Skeete of the Ministry of National Development and R Corbin, between 1976 and 1979, by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). To date, only 82 of these weapons were returned to the Army. The other 155 weapons are still missing and it is unknown if they still are in the possession of the PNCR.

But, Granger, in an interview with Guyana Times on Saturday, denied knowledge of the weapons.

Guyana Times understands that Norman Mc Lean who has previously testified at the Rodney CoI

was the Chief of Staff of the GDF at that time. Efforts to contact him to ascertain if he has knowledge of the missing weapons proved futile.

Gun crime However, when contacted, President Ramotar pointed out that Granger was “the Commander” at the time that the weapons were loaned to the PNC Government. The President highlighted that Granger must have some knowledge of the whereabouts of the weaponry, since he was

the Commander in Charge of Operations at the GDF at that time and is now the PNCR Leader.

The President had made the initial call for the weapons to be returned during an interview on crime in Guyana. Ramotar had said “part of the problem with gun-related crimes is the amount of illegal weapons in the streets of our country”.

He said that while some of these weapons were smuggled into the country, a large number of weapons that have found their way

into the hands of criminal elements are from the stock that were issued to the PNC.

As Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces, the President said that while the efforts of the Police will remain unwavering to tackle the issue of gun-related crimes head on, the missing Army weapons must be found and those who may have been involved in this matter owe it to the country to ensure their retrieval.

“We know that some of them found their way into the hands of criminal elements a few years ago, in Mahaica/Mahaicony when the Police had a confrontation with criminals,” the President said.

Once weapons are recovered, they are destroyed by special equipment acquired by authorities.

President Ramotar also spoke about the enhanced level of investigations and detective work being carried out by the Joint Services. He said that while this was still not at the necessary level, the improvement was a welcome development.

Mention was also made of the incorporation of science and technology to improve the effectiveness of crime fighting.

In this regard, he expressed the hope that the Government’s investment in a forensic laboratory will see more crimes being solved.

GECOM to resuscitate Media Monitoring Unit

Four years after the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) was disbanded by the Government of Guyana, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is looking to reestablish it.

The Unit’s objectives include monitoring of the media and reporting on breaches of the principles enshrined in the Media Code of Conduct and norms associated with international best practices in journalism, and encourages equity, balance and fairness in news reporting.

It also promotes the raising of professional standards in the media with regard to reporting on political, electoral, governance, and general social issues.

This was confirmed on Saturday by the Deputy Chief Elections Officer

(DCEO) of GECOM, Vishnu Persaud, who in an interview told Guyana Times that GECOM has commenced discussions with international bodies with the aim of resuscitating the MMU.

Persaud explained that the unit will be on-stream in the run-up to any elections, since it is important to ensure media practices are up to par especially at that time.

Government in July 2010 disbanded the Monitoring Unit. Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, had recommended that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) halt funding to the Unit, for which it provided funds under its democratic governance projects.

Sophia coaching project graduates another batch of students

The Sophia Education Coaching Project on Saturday celebrated their third graduation ceremony for their 2014 Summer Programme at the Church of Christ.

The project started in January 2012 and has been supported by the Rotary Club of Central Georgetown and lately Courts Guyana Inc. This year, classes commenced on July 28 and July 30 and lasted for a period of five weeks with five and half teaching hours.

The event was said to be a pre-celebration for the students who performed well during the summer programme exams and are preparing to sit the National Grade Six Assessment next year.

According to Founder of the programme, Narine Khublall, the project is for Sophia residents who are less fortunate. “This project initially started for persons in Sophia who are poor, single parents, orphans and vulnerable children. The classes are free and anyone can join since we welcome all,” he said.

President of the Rotary Club of Central Georgetown, Gillian Rockcliffe, also spoke

of how pleased she is to be part of the “Sophia Project”.

She highlighted that rotary is all about literacy, economic and community development, maternal and child development. She noted that the member of the clubs totalled over 1.2 million and they use their professions to assist members in the community.

She said that persons would usually spend lump sums of money on the children to receive a good education and good grades; however, the results are not always that good.

The theme the club has adopted this year is “Light it up Rotary”. She noted that by lighting several candles, one can eliminate darkness since the fire emanates into light, similarly, the children who are pursuing their education acts as the light of society and will disperse all negative and dark enmities.

One of the teachers told Guyana Times that they assisted the students with their speech and language. She noted that the students do not only learn of academic work, but also issues that are prevalent in society.

Campton Williams, another teacher told parents that education should not be taken for granted. Sir Dhuwaneshwar Sharma travels from Uitvlugt to Sophia to teach the students. He noted that there is always a fuss about Grade Six results and with this; they have decided to begin with Grade Six students.

Shaunel Bacchus, a representative of Courts Guyana Inc, congratulated the students on their performance over the summer classes and noted that Courts will always be there to assist once the teachers are there as well as the students.

All the outstanding students were honoured. The top performers for the first batch of 2012-2013 were Ricardo Sumeer and Ravi Ramnauth and Giselle McRea and Tonicka Prince. The Grades Four and Six outstanding students were Amaria Roberts and Akash Jaikaran.

Those who performed exceptionally well at the 2014 Grade Six Summer classes were Sudarshani Sharma and Christel Jones. The other students were given certificates for their hard work.

BRIDGE OPENINGS

WEATHER TODAY

LOTTERY NUMBERS

Elections fever heats up!

– parties “testing waters” in house-to-house visits

BY SVETLANA MARSHALL

nternally, leading candidates are being identified. On the outskirts, the stage is being set for General and Regional Elections.

“A better life for all Guyanese” will soon become the cliché of the day, as political parties eye the leadership of the country, ahead of the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Government.

PPP/C

In its quest to regain the majority in the National Assembly, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) is campaigning for the establishment of a “Broad National Democratic Front”, in addition to the staging of several “bottom house meetings”. According to General Secretary Clement Rohee, the party has met a number of stakeholders. The response, he said, is overwhelming.

“The party’s engagement with a wide range of stakeholders has revealed that resentment is growing increasingly as a result of the Opposition's misuse of parliamentary power and the abuse of their one-seat majority,” he said.

In addition to consulting with members, regular citizens and stakeholders, the party has been conducting extensive field work to ensure that the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) produced by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is credible. Thus far, it has unearthed a series of discrepancies from fake addresses to fabricated names.

In its 2011 Manifesto, the PPP/C said it would have achieved a modern Guyana – a country which would be the preferred place to live and work by the end of 2016. Under the theme “Macroeconomic Stability for Long Term Sustainability”, the ruling party said it would continue to accelerate economic growth through effective management.

Although the PPP/C Government’s term has not come to an end, it has thus far lived up to its promise in this regard. For the past eight years, Guyana has recorded positive economic growth.

The expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project were among other initiatives promoted by the Government; however, these projects have thus far been stymied due to stern objections by the Opposition.

APNU

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) said it is continuing a process that commenced since last year when its Local Government Campaign was launched. APNU Campaign Director Winston Felix on Friday told Guyana Times that currently it is ensuring that all members and supporters are registered. During walkabouts in the various districts, Felix said citizens are brought up to date on current issues facing Guyana. Additionally, citizens have been called upon to put their votes “solidly behind the APNU”.

APNU

Communications Department Head Mark Archer told Guyana Times that the coalition has long been in the elections mode. It was explained that since 2013, the party was gearing up for Local Government Elections, but with the no-confidence motion submitted to the National Assembly, the party has switched gears.

Archer said APNU’s Local Government Campaign meetings were conducted in the 10 Administrative Regions and Constituency Committees established in all of the 71 Local Authority areas. Given the intricacy of the Local

Government Elections, Archer said the party had the honour of meeting and understanding the issues affecting the grassroots. As General Election looms, he said: “We are retooling for a nationwide elections or whatever elections are called.”

In addition to building a Government of National Unity, the APNU in its 2011 Manifesto said it would have addressed the issues of crime, un -

employment, high taxation, poor infrastructure but most of all, it would put the requisite systems in place for the hosting of the long awaited Local Government Elections.

AFC

Like the APNU, the Alliance For Change (AFC) had promised to address similar issues if given the chance. The AFC General Secretary David Patterson told Guyana Times that the party has already conducted town hall and public meetings in Regions Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) , Five (Mahaica-Berbic) and Seven (CuyuniMazaruni). This weekend,

the AFC met with residents of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

According to Patterson, crime, unemployment and good governance were the issues that were placed on top of the agenda when the meetings were called. Questioned about residents’ response thus far, he said, “We are heartened and truly encouraged by the response. Residents have a good understanding why the motion was submitted and we sense that there is a commitment to cause.”

The AFC is currently formulating its manifesto.

On August 7, the AFC submitted the no-confidence motion to the Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs. It is expected that the motion against the PPP/C Government would come up for debate in the National Assembly in October. With the APNU signalling its intention to endorse the motion, Guyana could see President Donald Ramotar being forced to dissolve Parliament, paving the way for General Elections within 90 days. (svetlanam@guyanatimesgy.com)

Editor: Nigel Williams

Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown

Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Constitutional change

Constitutions and constitutional change have been subjects of debate and struggle from the beginning of this country’s modern history – which is to say, the history following European colonisation.

The Indigenous Peoples of the land had their systems of governance brushed aside and this disdain continues into the present. The Dutch insisted that their rather unique governmental structures be maintained after the three colonies of Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo passed into British hands in 1814.

The unification of the colonies quickly followed, as well as the Emancipation of slavery and all of this was against the background of Britain’s elimination of the Mercantilist regime of trade that had guided her relations with her colonies, to “free trade” which would allow her to reap greater profits from the wider trading opportunities. Constitutional changes to full Crown Colony Government, where the Governor and his handpicked Council wielded control over the Legislature facilitated this imperative and illustrated the thrust of “constitutional change”.

Without going through all the intermediate steps, we have to consider two most critical conjunctures of change in the Guyanese Constitution, the effects of which we are still grappling with. The first was in 1963 when the British altered the electoral system from a constituency based one to a country-wide Proportional Representation model.

The imposition of this model, and jettisoning of the constituency model that was retained in all other Commonwealth jurisdictions, was occasioned by the British and US’s desire to remove the PPP Government under a “legal” fig leaf. The use of constitutional change as a means of effecting regime change was introduced to Guyana.

The second momentous “constitutional moment” for Guyana came in 1980 when the PNC unilaterally introduced a new Constitution to the country. Its sole purpose, according to domestic and foreign commentators, was to give the British-style “legal fig leaf” to the existential dictatorship of Forbes Burnham and the PNC. This fig leaf then allowed the dictator to define any move to remove him from office as “illegal”.

In 1999, a Constitutional Reform Commission was instituted following violent street protests by the PNC and the stepping down of the PPP/C President with the truncation of her term of office. Extensive alterations were made to the Constitution to address the PNC’s demand that they acquire more power in the National Assembly. Since the Burnhamite Constitution had been heavily weighed in favour of the President, this reallocation of power meant that Executive power was reduced.

A self-explanatory “Parliamentary Management Committee” and four Sectoral Committees that could examine the entire operations of Government in real time formed the core of this expansion of parliamentary power at the expense of the Executive. In addition to this relative diminution of presidential powers, the enumerated constitutional powers of that office were explicitly trimmed in an absolute fashion to prevent the dictatorial excesses of Burnham in the present.

But within three years of these changes, and without exploring their increased powers in Parliament, the Opposition went on a new tack: a call for the sharing of Executive powers in addition to their expanded parliamentary prerogatives. Under the rubric of “power sharing” or “shared governance”, a host of mechanisms, all of which were based on putative ethnic support were proposed as the “solution” to the political logjam caused by the Opposition’s intransigence.

After the last elections, which delivered a one-seat majority in the National Assembly to the Opposition, the Opposition’s call for “power sharing” suddenly became muted. And this revealed the real reason for the calls: power over spending. The Assembly became the site of a naked grab for power over the Executive over the Budget. Fortunately, the Courts, as the arbiters of the Constitution, held them off.

In preparation for new elections, the calls for “constitutional change” for “power sharing” are once again in vogue by the Opposition. They are still coy about their reason, though.

Clean up Guyana

Why do people commit suicide?

Dear Editor, Pain, loneliness, rejection, abuse, deep sadness, guilt, depression, and helplessness. More than anything, I believe people who commit suicide feel hopeless. They are hurting so badly and want the pain to end, but they can’t imagine it ever going away. They can’t see the light at the end of a very dark, lonely tunnel. Have you ever felt this way?

When a person’s thoughts get so negative about their circumstances or even about themselves, they can’t find a reason to live. They think their problems are unsolvable and they feel completely out of control.

I believe first and foremost, hopelessness is a serious spiritual problem rooted in lies and incorrect logic. Anytime you believe lies about yourself, you’re listening to the wrong voices. We can heal from our injuries and our suffering. If we have a healthy environment, healthy behaviours, healthy relationships, we will recover. We need to identify our histo-

ries of trauma, abuse, neglect, grief, and loss. We need to overcome denial on all of our addictive behaviours. We need to provide ourselves with good health care. We need a safe place where we can be who we are, and be welcome. We need quiet, respectful attention as we tell our stories in as much detail and as many times as we need to.

Social stigma and prejudice are our enemies. Every human being is taught from childhood that suicidal people are shameful, sinful, weak, selfish, and manipulative – taught that we are contagious and that we want to harm others.

None of these ideas are true. No scientific study has ever confirmed that a significant proportion of suicidal people have these qualities. But children believe what they are taught. Each person we seek help from has been conditioned to respond with fear, contempt, and aversion.

Worse yet, when we became suicidal, we applied these ideas to ourselves. Much of the content of depressive rumination – I’m no good, I’m stupid, I’m a

failure, I’m weak, I don’t have enough will power –is simply the reflexive response of internalised stigma.

Stigma causes us to inflict pain upon ourselves and deters us from seeking help. It causes those around us to shun us, to be afraid to talk with us, to abuse us.

While thousands of years of social oppression are an enemy, our allies include millions of years of biological programming. We are born with the desire to stay alive. It is the most basic thing about us; we share it with all living beings.

At each moment, millions of events take place inside our bodies and inside our minds that are designed to help us stay alive. Until the present, at least, the forces that are life-preserving have been stronger than the forces that are lifedestroying.

Many of us endured bleak periods during which inner voices cried out, ‘Kill yourself. Your life is nothing but pain and misery. You might as well end it all.’ Yet, we did not die. The desire for life is pre-conscious,

pre-verbal. It keeps us going even when the voices tell us to die. We must be, at bottom, fundamentally healthy or we would not have stayed alive this long. Like all living creatures, we can heal from our injuries and our suffering. If we have a healthy environment, healthy behaviours, healthy relationships, we will recover. We need to identify our histories of trauma, abuse, neglect, grief, and loss. We need to overcome denial of all of our addictive behaviours. We need to provide ourselves with good health care. We need a safe place where we can be who we are, and be welcome. We need quiet, respectful attention as we tell our stories in as much detail and as many times as we need to. If we get these things, we will not just stay alive, but we will have good lives. Lives that are free of the curse of depression and suicidal ideation, lives that are productive and creative, lives that are filled with friendship and love.

Sincerely, Pt Suresh Sugrim

International campaign for the release of the Cuban Five

Dear Editor

From September 4 to October 6, solidarity friends to Cuba in many countries, including Guyana, organise activities to commemorate the 16th Anniversary of the unjust imprisonment of the Cuban Five in prisons in the United States.

The year 2014 has seen the realisation of many actions in support of the campaign for the release of the anti-terrorist heroes. Among them, the most important have been the Commission of Inquiry in the Case of the Cuban Five held in London, and The III Meeting in Washington, DC, “Five Days for The Five”.

Both achieved important goals in the disclosure and denouncing of the irregularities and injustices against the rights of our heroes and their families. To both events, directly or indirectly, many solidarity friends to Cuba contributed, to whom the heroes, their families, and the Cuban people extended their sincere and heartfelt thanks.

This year also brought the joy of the return of Fernando Gonzalez Llort, once he served his full sentence. And also, René González Schewerert is in Cuba, after serving his unworthy sentence. But still in cruel and unjust imprisonment are the Heroes Gerardo Hernandez Nordelo,

Ramon Labañino Salazar, and Antonio Guerrero Rodríguez. Therefore, the Campaign for their release and the final return to the homeland and their families should continue.

The X International Colloquium for the Freedom of the Five and against Terrorism will be held In Havana on September 11 and 12.

Also, a large number of actions will be hosted at dozens of countries. Activities will be held in Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Minnesota, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC, among many other cities.

Since much of the media in the world have not disclosed this injustice, to contribute to end it, it would be useful to recall some relevant facts to analyse the pertinence to inform readers.

Five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters were convicted in Miami since 1998 on charges ranging from failure to register as foreign agents to conspiracy to commit espionage and even murder and received sentences ranging from 15 years to double life.

The truth is that these Cubans were defending their countrymen against acts of terrorism by certain groups of CubanAmericans in Miami that caused hostility since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, kill -

ing more than 3400 people and wounding more than 2000.

The then Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations, on the recommendation of its Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and also Amnesty International, expressed concern about the fairness and impartiality of the trial that was conducted in such a hostile environment as Miami, where there were irregularities in the due process.

A similar conclusion was arrived at the International Commission of Inquiry held in March 2014 in London, led by three internationally-recognised judges.

The appeal process has reached the stage of Habeas Corpus with new evidences having come to light on the paying by the American Government of journalists who wrote biased articles before and during the trial.

The aggressive policy of successive American administrations against Cuba for decades has not been able to achieve their goals. Much damage, death and destruction it has caused to the Cuban people, including these men and their families. Particularly to the wife of Gerardo Hernández, who has been systematically denied a visa to visit her husband since 1998.

It’s time for the current

administration to hear this international demand for the release of Cuban anti-terrorist fighters and end the wrong policy applied to our country that has shown it will not bend and will continue to define its own future without interference from any other country.

This also serves as an opportunity to recognise the historical relations of friendship and solidarity developed for decades between the Governments and peoples of Guyana and Cuba.

In particular, the support that has been given by various institutions and broad sectors of the Guyanese society to this battle for the Liberation of the Cuban Five and against the unjust economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba.

Our recognition to the activities programmed in this International Campaign by the Guyana-Cuba Friendship Association, other solidarity institutions and persons of this country. To all our brothers and sisters, the eternal gratitude of the Cuban people and the commitment to continue until the final victory.

Sincerely,

Julio César

González Marchante, Cuban Ambassador

PPP/C will continue to check the Voters List diligently

Dear Editor, In checking the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) to ensure a clean and transparent Voters List, the PPP/C is highly amused by statements emanating from APNU in which they accused our party of behaving like a “cornered rat”.

If anybody is behaving like a cornered rat, it is David Granger, who it was revealed by the Commission of Inquiry into the assassination of Dr Walter Rodney was the Commander of the Army when the high-powered weapons which later, coincidentally or deliberately, found their way into the hands of criminals in 2005.

It is Granger who, for all practical purposes, is a cornered rat for the atrocities

inflicted on the Guyanese people by his party which resulted in the deaths of several Guyanese who dared to stand up in defence of their democratic rights, including the two ballot box martyrs on the Corentyne. The PPP/C is of the view that Granger and his APNU are desperately seeking to divert public attention from its dreadful and embarrassing past by resorting to empty rhetoric and baseless criticism against our party. The PPP/C will continue to check the Voters List diligently to ensure it’s clean and transparent so that every eligible Guyanese can exercise their franchise.

Submitted by PPP/C, Freedom House

Good Samaritan

Dear Editor, With the recent increase in crime throughout our country, many Community Policing Groups (CPGs) have been formed through the initiative of community members, CPG liaison officers, and Guyana Police Officers from all the divisions in Guyana, to assist in diminishing crime as well as to maintain peace and order in their respective communities.

Dear Editor,

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has registered 78,000 new electors in the present electoral registration cycle and the majority of these new electors have been placed in three or four of the Regions.

Such a vast number of new electors and their concentration in three or four regions is a statistical impossibility and the PPP/C party has been bitterly

complaining of this. Very strangely, none of the various persons who readily pronounce on such matters has said one word about this electoral absurdity and no member of the investigative journalist fraternity has taken up the challenge of explaining the conundrum.

In solving the problem, I would suggest that GECOM does a 10 per cent sample census in the most

affected areas with different enumerators than the ones who did it in the first place.

The political parties should urgently invoke the assistance of the various international organisations whose remit is to uphold democracy and to investigate such matters.

Initially, such organisations do not have to visit Guyana, but should be merely sent the last two

electoral lists, the last Census Report and other relevant information. The ABC countries, which are committed to cultivating democracy worldwide and in Guyana, may also be of some assistance.

Yours sincerely,

PI Peters

Dear Editor,

Mr Clinton Urling and his Blue CAPS organisation were launched to the welcome cheers of those of us who were yearning for something new and constructive in the socio-political life of Guyana.

It is with much disappointment, therefore, that so far, Mr Urling and Blue CAPS have not said one word publicly about the obvious travesty of GECOM increasing its electoral list with over 78,000 new electors during the last four-year cycle and

concentrating them in very few Administrative Regions.

We look forward to Mr Urling and the Blue CAPS saying something on this important issue.

Yours faithfully, K

Baksh

It’s a commendable venture since Community Policing is a voluntary duty entrusted to citizens who want to make their community a safer and respectable place for all who live there. But, still as much as many of us will commend the men and now women who promise to uphold this post as a CPG member, there are many who condemn them and discourage others from being part of an elite group which works along with Police Officers to eradicate crime, violence and noise nuisance from communities, countrywide.

These men and women put their lives at risk to protect those of others who are at home sleeping, etc and yet still there is no kind word given to these selfless individuals. I agree there might be a few lackadaisical CPG out there, but not every CPG is like that.

However, every now and then in today’s society, there is a good Samaritan who values the selflessness of the CPG members, and one such person is an anonymous donor who through the liaison officer of B Division CPG, Mr Wheed Isahak, has donated sneakers to various CPGs in the B Division (Berbice) area. It was insightful of this kind individual to equip the CPG members with foot wear to accompany their uniform which will help them to perform their voluntary task more efficiently.

The Bush Lot N/H Scheme, WCB CPG and all the other groups who have benefited from this gesture would like to thank this selfless donor and Mr Isahak for supporting us in our endeavours.

Hopefully, other individuals can take a page out of this donor’s book and instead of criticism, they can find ways and means of supporting their CPGs as a way of showing their appreciation towards them, for being an extended arm of the law in their area.

Kudos to the Bush Lot N/H Scheme CPG and the Courbane Park, Annandale CPG for leading by example. Keep up the good work, guys!

Sincerely, Rosita K

Page Foundation

Ask once and your child does it: Ways to make it happen

By Megan Devine

Afew weeks ago, on the Empowering Parents

Facebook page we asked parents to share the one day-to-day thing they find most frustrating about their kids. The overwhelming answer? “I have to tell my kid five times to do the simplest thing! Every single day, it’s a battle. I want to tell him once and have him march off and do it! It would make everyone’s lives so much easier.”

It’s annoying, isn’t it? Why can’t they just follow that one simple direction? It’s not like you’re asking them to do something complicated. What you ask is really quite simple: Fold your laundry. Walk the dog. Take the trash out. Clean your room. Why do you have to say the same thing 14 times, with your voice and your blood pressure rising each time?

What’s really going on?

Before we get into effective solutions for this problem, let’s look at what’s really going on here. Is your child just being obstinate and wilful? Maybe. But the bigger reasons for her noncompliance might surprise you.

One big thing that may be happening when your child refuses to act until

you’ve lost your temper is a bid for power. Power struggles are par for the course as your child becomes more and more independent. The longer she can hold you off, the more powerful she feels. The angrier you get, the more she feels she can control your emotions. This aspect of getting kids to follow directions is actually the easiest to remedy: the most

good day – why should he do it the first time? He knows you don’t really “mean it” until several requests down the road. Those first few times are just the warm up. Another surprise? While you may feel incredibly frustrated that your kid won’t stop what he’s doing, it’s actually normal behaviour. The truth is, we all do it. Look at it like this: if you’re

In the beginning, give a reminder – once. It may seem counter-intuitive to give your child a reminder when you’re trying to get him to respond to your first request. Remember that you’re asking him to learn a new behaviour. A little bit of coaching can increase your chances of success. Coaching is different than repeating a direction. For

effective way to end a power struggle is by refusing to engage in it. Clear, direct expectations and consequences can keep you out of these battles. But in the case of having to ask over and over, underlying power struggles might be less of an issue than… training. Yes, your child might simply be trained to not respond to your first several requests. Think about it. If you’re in the habit of saying something four or five times before your child does as you’ve asked – on a

doing something you really like, how many times do you tell yourself, “I should really go start dinner.” And then you keep not going to start dinner. That’s human nature. We want to keep doing the things we want to do, and we put off the things we don’t want to do. There’s nothing wrong with your child if he’s doing this. Your child is simply interested in his own stuff, not yours. Like most people, he wants to keep doing what he enjoys, and isn’t interested in things he doesn’t enjoy.

example, if your child hasn’t moved to do as asked and he’s running out of time, pop your head in and say, “You have about five minutes to get that trash out. I know you want your video games, so be sure it gets done.”

Be prepared for failure. This may be the hardest part of this whole process. You’ve repeated your instructions so many times in the past; your child expects that to continue. He’s going to test that theory more than once before things shift. It’s only through repeated, con-

Changing the dynamic

So how can you deal with this? I mean, you do actually need your child to do what she’s asked, the first time. Human nature and habit aside, it would cause so much less stress for everyone if she’d just do it the first time. It’s going to take some time and patience on your part, but you can retrain your child to respond to the first request. It’s not going to be easy, because you’ll have to resist the urge to repeat your request as you usually do. You’re going to have to override your frustration in order to remain calm and clear. Ready?

• Have a short, direct conversation with your child about the problem. “I notice that I often tell you five or six times to do something before you eventually do it. That’s not going to work anymore. From now on, I will tell you once, and if you don’t do as asked by the time I tell you, there will be a consequence.”

• Be sure you know what the consequence will be! Making one up in the heat of the moment is ineffective. Surprising your child with a consequence after the fact often makes things worse. Be clear about what she can expect to gain for completing the task assigned and what she will lose if she doesn’t comply.

• Give a time frame to allow for transition. Look, you don’t like to jump at someone’s suggestions and your child doesn’t either. Instead of saying, “Do this right now!” a more effective statement might be: “The trash needs to be taken out before 4 o’clock. That means you have 20 minutes to get it done.” Remind your child of the consequences for not following through: “Remember, when the trash is out by four, you get to play video games for an hour. If it’s not, you don’t.”

This is a really important piece of the puzzle. You’re connecting your consequences to the behaviour you want to improve, and you are clearly letting your child know what she earns when she’s completed the task. In this case, you want to see your child get better at responding to requests the first time, and you want the trash out by a certain time. Note— this also works if you’re trying to get her to stop doing something. If you have to tell your daughter 46 times to turn off the TV, just change your directive to something like: “You have 15 more minutes of TV time; then it’s going off.”

sistent practice that both of you will understand that things have changed.

When your child fails to meet the time deadline (and he will), be calm, clear, and direct: “You didn’t get the trash out by four, so you’ve lost access to your games tonight. You’ll get another chance tomorrow. When you do as asked in the time you’re given, you’ll get to play your games.”

Remember that you want your child to succeed. This is not about punishment – as James Lehman writes in the Total Transformation Program, you can’t punish a child into better behaviour. This is about helping your child learn to better manage his time and to get better at following directions. With practice, he’ll see that getting those irritating chores out of the way means much less stress and annoyance and far more free time. Be patient with yourself and your child. Changing behaviours takes time and work on everyone’s part. Stay focused and clear. You can do this, and so can your child. (empoweringparents.com)

Man critical after ‘kero’ stove explodes on him

By Bhisham mohamed

Acane harvester is now clinging to life in the Burns Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital after a kerosene stove exploded on him while he was preparing meals at his Patentia, West Bank Demerara home on Sunday morning.

Thirty-four-year-old Emmanuel Ramdoo, also called Joshua, of Patentia Estate Reserve, sustained second-degree burns about his body and is listed as critical. At the time of the explosion, he was alone in his rented apartment.

Based on reports received, the father of three had returned home from a wedding house in the area and was about to prepare meals for his two daughters, who were at his mother’s house a short distance away. He reportedly told hospital officials that the kerosene stove suddenly exploded. However, residents are of the belief that he might have set himself on fire, claiming that he was a depressed young man. This might have stemmed from the separation between him and his reputed wife. The two separated about three years ago.

When Guyana Times visited the house on Sunday morning, most of the damage appeared to be in the bedroom area. Next to the bed was a white bottle of kerosene that was partially burnt. It is believed that after the stove exploded, the flames caught Ramdoo’s clothes but rather than running out of the house, he ran into the bedroom where he attempted to put out the blaze.

Bucket brigade

A tenant in the other apartment said that she was awakened by loud screams of ‘Fire!’. She said she quickly picked up her child and rushed out of the house. She related that as she looked into Ramdoo’s apartment, she saw a huge flame and as she was making her way out of the yard, persons from the community rushed to the

Police release ice manufacturer accused of power theft

The Annandale Ice Factory owner who has been accused of diversion of electricity (electricity theft) has been released on $20,000 Station Bail.

He is slated to return to the Vigilance Police Station on Monday, September 15. Speaking with Guyana Times on Sunday, the man, Mohan Rajendra, of Lot 129 Courbane Park, East Coast Demerara, said he was released on Friday afternoon hours after his arrest.

Although Guyana Power and Light (GPL) maintains that it has sufficient evidence to prove that diversion of electricity did occur, Rajendra is maintaining his innocence.

a bucket

and quickly put out

but, by this

were

“You

the

his

bad burn… the people even throw water on him to put out the blaze on his skin.”

Geeta Lakeram, mother of the injured man, told the Guyana Times that after they were able to extinguished the blaze, her son was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was kept for some time before he was transferred to the

Georgetown Public Hospital. At the Georgetown Public Hospital, the woman in tears told this newspaper that her son’s reputed wife left him about three years ago and took their third child, leaving the two girls behind. She admitted that whenever her son drinks, he would be in tears reminiscing on the good times he and his reputed wife shared.

Hard worker

She cried, “He worked hard to look after he two daughter… and he still got to pay support for the one he wife got.” Lakeram, however, swore that her son would never try to commit suicide. He is a strong man who always says that his daughters have to grow up to be prominent people in society, she added.

The mother recalled that she was at home when she saw people running and screaming and as she enquired, she saw smoke emanating from her son’s apartment. Luckily, she added, his two daughters were with her. She noted that they spent the night with her, since he wanted to attend a wedding in the area. The tearful mother is hoping for the best. (bhisham@guyanatimesgy.com)

Son in court for allegedly damaging mother’s windows

A25-year-old resident of West La Penitence appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Judy Latchman on Friday on charges of damage to property and abusive language. Paul Benjamin, an employee of Sandy’s Funeral Home, alleged unlawfully and maliciously damaged two louvers window panes belonging to Karen Winston.

It was also alleged that on the same day he made use of abusive language to Winston. To both of the charges, the unrepresented Benjamin pleaded not guilty. Police said it is not the first time Benjamin has committed the act. Police Prosecutor, Inspector Michael Grant objected to bail on the grounds that Benjamin is not a repeat offender. He stated that if bail is to be granted,

it is likely that he will commit the offence again. Winston noted that the defendant is her son and it was the first he had committed such an act. On that note, she pointed that he is very abusive when intoxicated. The objection grounds were overruled and bail was granted at a sum of $10,000 for each charge. Benjamin will return to court on September 22.

According to GPL, the Annandale resident with the help of an expert in the field, created a bypass to prevent the meter from recording the accurate amount of electricity consumed at the premises over an extensive period. The bypass was created between the transformers and the meter on the pole to slow down the rate at which electricity consumption was being recorded.

But Rajendra on Sunday laid the blame at the feet of GPL. “I think a GPL worker tamper with the wiring; it wasn’t me, how would I reach up on the post: it has to be them,” he opined. According to him, GPL is out to get him, as he further alleged that it was a personal attack.

“This is not the first time they harassing me, they harass me in November, they harass me in April, and now they come fuh harass me al-

though I paying my bill,” the man complained bitterly. With GPL disconnecting his power supply, Rajendra complained that his factory has been severely affected.

Rajendra is the first victim of GPL’s Name and Shame Campaign. Although his bill amounts to a whopping $3.6 million, the power company contends that this amount could jump to more than $7 million when “back billing” is done.

GPL’s Operations Manager Dominic Sundar on Sunday told Guyana Times that the power company would be furnishing the Vigilance Police Station with an official statement, after which legal action would be taken. “Our legal department will be handling it from there in collaboration with the Police,” Sundar explained, noting Rajendra could soon see himself appearing before the courts.

Sundar added that once back billing is done, Rajendra would be mandated to pay

the full amount. Failure to do so could see him being left without electricity. GPL would be conducting similar exercises across the country to crack down on illegal connections and diversions. Earlier in the year, GPL said it was experiencing a 31 per cent loss in electricity, with electricity theft being a major concern. Between Coldingen to Bygeval on the East Coast of Demerara, there was a 37.1 per cent loss in electricity while from Sophia to Coldingen, there was a 43.9 per cent loss. In Sophia’s A to E Fields, a 42.2 per cent loss in electricity was recorded at the end of March 31, 2013. Collectively, the communities of Tucville Well, Sophia Well, South Ruimveldt Park east of Penny Lane, Festival City, North Ruimveldt, South Ruimveldt Gardens, Roxanne Gardens, Guyhoc Park and Ebenezer Drive accounted for a loss of 60 per cent, the highest recorded during that period.

One dead, another critical in WBD smash-up

By Bhisham mohamed

The youngest son of a popular contractor is now dead, while a teenager is battling for his life following a horrific accident involving a car and their motorcycles along the Good Intent Public Road, West Bank Demerara (WBD) on Saturday evening.

Sunil Brijhuram, 21, of Lot 42 A Vive la Force, WBD, succumbed to his injuries about 02:30h on Sunday while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital. His friend, Joshua Higgins, 18, also of Vive la Force, is nursing several injuries and has been admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital. He is said to be in a stable but serious condition.

According to information received, the two young men were on their way home about 23:30h when they allegedly collided with a parked car bearing registration number, PJJ 2340, owned by a Police rank.

While information remains sketchy, Guyana Times understands that both young men might have been under the influence of alcohol when the accident occurred. Reports reaching this newspaper revealed that Higgins and the now dead Brijhuram were racing along the public road when the handles of their motorcycles came into contact, resulting in both of them slamming into the parked car.

Due to the impact, the motor car moved from its original location while the two men ended up in a near-

by trench. Public-spirited citizens went to their assistance and after realising the extent of their injuries, took them to the West Demerara Regional Hospital from where they were subsequently transferred to Georgetown Public Hospital.

Loud impact

At the scene on Sunday morning, the owner of the motor car said that he was awakened when he heard the loud impact and as he ran out, he saw the commotion. The Police rank told media operative that he cannot comment on the issue further, claiming that permission has to be sought from his superiors.

A young man who was at the scene told the Guyana Times that he was a short distance away when he heard the banging sound and immediately went to the location. There, he said, he assisted the two injured men into a taxi which sped off.

He could not give details about the accident but said from all indications, the two motorcycles were “racing”.

“These two men fly past the show… and then suddenly, we hear bang,” one man stated. One of Higgins’ thumbs was severed and seen in the

band and meh son went to the scene, but, by the time we reach, they de done gone to the hospital, so we went there… Meh husband went in the room with he, but after some time, they say he had to go to Georgetown Hospital,” the woman stated.

At the Georgetown Public Hospital, she was able to see her son who could not have spoken, but his eyes were open with tears in them. She said that one of his arms and one of his legs were broken.

trench. At the home of the dead young man, his mother, Salima Brijhuram, told reporters that about 23:00h, a relative contacted them and related the terrible news.

“We get a call telling we that Sunil was in an accident… me and meh hus-

The last time she saw her son alive was when he was wheeled into the Accident And Emergency Unit. As they waited outside, about 2:30h, she said, a doctor informed them that he had died.

The grieving mother recalled that her son returned

from work on Saturday afternoon, took a shower, ate and about 18:30h, he told her that he was going out for a while. “Well, whenever any ah meh children go out, I does always check up on them… So I called he and he said he deh out deh… after some time, he father called and he tell he father that he coming home now.”

Last contact

During this time, one of her other sons returned home and told her that he left his brother at the Chinese Store but after time elapsed, the young man’s father contacted him again and at that time, he told him that he was about to leave.

“I dropped to sleep, but, soon after, we get the call about the accident,” his mother recounted. She said that her son was a responsible person and would never indulge in racing, since he knew it was a dangerous practice. The woman said thus far, they are clueless as to what occurred on the night of the fatal accident.

Police in a release stated that they are investigating the fatal accident, but preliminary investigations revealed that the two motorcyclists were riding at a fast pace when they lost control of their vehicles and collided with a parked car.

Brijhuram leaves to mourn his parents and five other siblings.

BV man on bail for larceny charge

Forty-one-yearold John Lynch of Sideline Dam, Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara was on Friday last arraigned at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on a charge of larceny from the person. The charge was read by Magistrate Judy Latchman.

According to Police, on

August 29 at Regent Street, Georgetown, Lynch allegedly stole $4500 cash from Latifa Squires. Initially, he pleaded guilty to the charge, explaining what occurred on the day in question. He told the court that he was shopping along Regent Street when he found $3000 on the ground. He stopped, picked

it up and continued shopping. He said about an hour later, he was approached by Squires, along with a Police officer.

Lynch further stated that Squires told him she did not know that the money was hers at that time, but he questioned the complainant how she did not know it was her cash.

Based on his explanation, a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf, and Police Prosecutor Michael Grant did not object to bail. He was then placed on $20,000 bail and the matter was adjourned to September 9 before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Eyew tness

Dangerous thinking...

...by “leaders”

As the underbrush for the elections are being cleared, a dangerous trend can be clearly discerned: even though the Opposition parties talk about “democratic elections”, when it comes to their internal elections, all of that is thrown into the bush. Maybe so too the national elections?? It’s a case of “the leader knows best” and those at the bottom better get with the programme.

We don’t have to go over the sordid rigging Granger and his loyalists pulled to get him back at the helm of the PNC, do we?? We thought Norton and his partisans from Linden might’ve been willing to expose that farce... but it looks like “party loyalty” has trumped justice and fair play – not to mention “democracy” – once again.

Pity. Because the “party” to which they’re loyal has been so deformed by the military officers Granger has insisted be at the centre of operations, is no more.

Point is, Granger’s very much aware of his lack of grounding in the party machinery and so individuals like Norton and Kissoon, with support in the trenches, are too threatening to his army top-down leadership style. He probably really believes what he’s doing is “good for the party” and in this, he betrays his fundamental antidemocratic genes. Unless you’re willing to accept the will of the people, you can never be a Democrat.

And we see this in the AFC also. We’ve already pointed out the sleight of hand being performed by Leader Ramjattan when he pretends to forget the agreement that the AFC Presidential Candidate will be alternated between the African and Indian Guyanese top leadership. This time, it’s the turn of the African leader to have a go... and Lalloo Ram’s acceptance of Nagamootoo is further proof of the ethnic card being played. Hope David Hinds brings up this marginalisation!

But what struck us from a democratic perspective is for Ramjattan to keep stridently insisting that his choice for the ticket – Nagamootoo and Hughes – must be the AFC’s choice. What about the announcement by other individuals – such as the youth leader Trevor Williams – who declared he’s able, willing and ready to be the Presidential Candidate? Any leader with an iota of democratic sentiment would allow the nomination and election process to play out, without coming down like a ton of bricks on his druthers.

Where are the democratic credentials of the AFC when young Trevor Williams is cowed to challenge the party’s machinery under Ramjattan’s control. From the example of big brother PNC – he knows that can always be rigged.

...on development

Against the background of national elections in the air, we should take a good look at the Opposition’s take on the infrastructural projects the PPP/C’s been trying to get off the ground. Now the World Bank, the IBD, the CDB and every other financial institution have shown that “infrastructural development” is a prerequisite for economic growth.

But the Opposition have fought tooth and nail to derail every development project. Take the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project. Who can doubt that low electricity cost’s the biggest hurdle in getting companies to establish valueadded enterprises here?

But the Opposition (and their media acolytes) came up with one excuse or another (road cost, then generating capacity, then wildlife concerns, relocation of Amerindians, then overall cost and finally financing), which the Government addressed at every turn – only to have another thrown up. Right now, they have the CJIA expansion in their sights. All their objections are grounded in their unwillingness to look at the possibilities. Sadly they figure if Guyana develops, their goose is cooked!

...on guns

Now that the rumours of GDF guns being doled out to PNC operatives have been confirmed, you’d think David Granger would’ve been happy to have them returned. It might improve the image of the both organisations – that he headed then and heads now.

Business community joins Int’l Literacy Day observance

The Education Ministry has announced that a number of businesses will be providing sponsorship for its “Give A Book” Tents today, as Guyana joins the world in observing International Literacy Day.

The Ministry is expected to have a total of 21 “Give A Book” tents set up across Regions One, Two, Three, Five, Six, and 10. Meanwhile, in Georgetown, the Ministry will be today hosting the unveiling of the National Revised Literacy Action Plan, a literacy exhibition, and a number of “Give A Book” tents along the Avenue on Main Street.

In a release, the Education Ministry said it finds this collaboration with the business community encouraging and groundbreaking. “The Ministry would like to recognise the Regent Multiplex for purchasing 1000 books for distribution starting at 12:00h today. The Georgetown Reading & Research Centre and the National Library will also be distributing books on Monday...”

Meanwhile, in a message to mark the occasion, Education Minister Priya Manickchand said one of the most important life skills a human being can possess is the ability to read and write. She said literacy is the bedrock of human existence and as citizens of the world, it is “our fundamental duty to equip ourselves with the necessary tools of literacy so as to enjoy a better quality of life.”

She said sadly the world is plagued by significant illiteracy that affects large populations of countries, particularly girls and women. The struggle against illiteracy is a real one. Countries must do all they can to ensure that illiteracy is eradicated and replaced by the

enlightenment of literacy to the benefit of all. In Guyana, through a number of strategic interventions organised by the Government, through the Education Ministry, we have made consistent strides in ensuring that more Guyanese become literate.

“Literacy and Sustainable Development”

This year, the theme for World Literacy Day is “Literacy and Sustainable Development”. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO): “Literacy is one of the key elements needed to promote sustainable development, as it empowers people so that they can make the right decisions in the areas of economic growth, social development and environmental integration.”

Manickchand said the Guyana Government has long recognised the nexus between literacy and human development, and embarked on a meticulous effort to raise the literacy levels across the country through a variety of basic educational programmes. Moreover, there is significant gender

parity throughout the education system. Guyana has ensured that boys and girls have equal access to and will continue to benefit from these developmental initiatives.

The Minister said it is more than a coincidence that the theme for this year’s Education Month’s is “Literate by Grade Four Through Consistent Home, School and Community Involvement”. She said enough caution cannot be taken in ensuring that the nation provides the highest quality of early childhood education to every child in Guyana.

“The Government of Guyana understands clearly that education and, more so, literacy are fundamental rights of every citizen. The Government is also very cognisant that investing in education has a high cost. However, Government also recognises that the only cost higher than investing in education is not investing in education. Consequently, as seen in Budget 2014, the Government matches its commitment to investing in education with the tangible investment of GY$38 billion; the most money ever allocated to education in the history of Guyana.”

Collective effort needed For his part, Chief Education Officer Olato Sam is calling on the country to ascribe a significantly higher degree of importance to the issue of literacy in Guyana. “The theme for Education Month this year, “Literate by Grade Four Through Consistent Home, School and Community Involvement’, was devised to convey the need for a collective effort if we are to succeed in making our populace more literate. It is clear that if we are to make significant improvements with re-

Miss Earth re-launches cleanup campaign

Miss Earth Guyana

2014 Stacy Ramcharan has relaunched her cleanup campaign under the theme “Be An Angel, Be An Earth Angel.”

Last month, Ramcharan, along with her supporters, cleared sections of the sea wall of all unwanted materials. This time around, she is intensifying her campaign.

gard to literacy in Guyana, it must be recognised that the Ministry of Education alone cannot adequately address this and a more broadbased, national approach must be developed,” Sam said.

This, he said, would require appreciation of the deep national developmental implications this holds. The research is abundantly clear, the more literate the population, the greater the output in all sectors. “As such, I proffer that our efforts to ensure a more literate population can no longer be regarded as solely a schoolhouse or classroom issue, but a national concern demanding a comprehensive multi-sectoral approach. A ‘culture of literacy’ has to be developed that permeates all public and private undertakings. It should be reflected in little things we do, such as personal pledges to give books as gifts – particularly to school-aged children – and can be extended to the formation of book clubs in many of our non-formal settings, our places of worship, youth groups, NGOs and recreational centres.

“This can be further supported by formal engagements at places of employment, including public service entities, to provide access to literacy instruction for staff members and their families where possible. Corporate entities can support efforts of entities such as the Guyana Book Foundation with its matching funds initiative, where any purchase of books is matched by an equal amount of free books, and the work of the National Library to expand their scope to span the entire country,” he noted.

Simply the Truth

Education Month

This is proclaimed Education Month. As usual, we will do the song and dance. We shall have all kinds of people telling us the most desperately ordinary things. The things are usually derivative, unoriginal, trite, meaningless and without depth.

Sometimes, to be honest, we do have something quite lovely. But this is rare. And it never seems to take traction. It is soon forgotten.

We have had no one in Guyana for the last 50 years who offered a concise definition of education. So, on this “Education Month”, we shall offer this definition: To be educated means having the ability to measure one’s own ignorance.

In case we have some wellread person in Guyana reading this, we realise that Confucius said something similar. But even that Great One did not include measurement, and Confucius used more than 30 words. What we have done is to build on but make more concise what was given to us by the Great Philosopher.

We also realise that Lao Tze offered his definition. No Guyanese though, as far as I know. We don’t even bother to know that which was written before. Such is our ignorance. Ignorance is not so much about not knowing, it is the wilful refusal to learn.

So, for Education Month, we can begin by examining the definition we have offered. For one thing, being educated is not about chewing and swallowing and vomiting chunks of information. Quick Berbice story:

There was a fellow from Rose Hall Town who got into an accident. He spent some six months in the hospital in New Amsterdam. Not being an idle fellow, he busied himself by memorising the dictionary.

It is said that he got all the way to M. If you ask the fellow about the meaning of any word

from A – M, he would tell you. Quite amazing, we have to admit. But if you ask him to make a sentence with any one word, he could not do it. He had a good memory, but understood little and could critically examine nothing. Although the effort is admirable, this is not being educated.

Being educated, if we accept the definition, is to be humble. The arrogant and ignorant will never accept the fact that they don’t know. Arrogance and ignorance are the enemies of education. I have had high school children tell me how much they know. I smile. They can be forgiven, for they are young.

Not so easily forgivable are the long-in-the-tooth adults who proclaim how much they know. And, in the end, it is so minute. It is rather like these people on social networks who write these pseudophilosophical tripe in selfadmiring ways, but when you look at it, it is without substance. It is embarrassing, really. But it takes a sense of shame to be ashamed. Name dropping is the way of the fool who seeks only to inflate himself.

But even if we take this definition and have the good sense to examine it carefully, we will need to ask this: How can we measure our ignorance? How? This would take work, but are we ready to do the work?

“Persons are being encouraged to join us as we clean up Georgetown,” Ramcharan said, noting that more information on the next exercise would be posted on her Facebook wall.

“Once we have more people, we will be able to cover larger sections,” she posited.

As an ambassador for change and awareness with respect to saving the Earth, Ramcharan has been executing a number of projects.

On Sunday, Miss Earth, along with a small group of supporters, cleaned up the avenues along Camp and Main Streets. During an interview with Guyana Times, she said the clean-up exercise would be conducted every weekend in different locations.

Recently, she collaborated with Bravo Arts to host a children’s workshop as she sought to educate them on the importance of engaging in earth-friendly practices. The workshop dubbed “Get Creative” taught children how to use recycled materials for art projects. Miss Earth Guyana has also participated in a tree planting exercise.

Ramcharan would be representing Guyana in Macau, China on November 26 when the Miss Earth International Pageant takes centre stage.

Whittaker says Linden M&TC has no authority to raise bridge toll

Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker said the Linden Mayor and Town Council (M&TC) has no authority to raise the Wismar/ Mackenzie Bridge Toll.

He made this statement on Friday at the Ministry’s press briefing. According to the Minister, against what was agreed upon between himself and the M&TC, the Council went ahead and increased the bridge toll, something they have no authority to do.

“I had to caution them that they had no authority, they had no such authority,” he pointed out. The Minister explained that the there are laws governing the operations of the bridge, including the change of bridge tolls. He referred to the legislation, Chapter 51:04 of the

Demerara River Mackenzie Bridge Act, along with the Linden Municipal Toll Point laws that were signed in 1995. Whittaker told reporters that the Chairman of the Linden Interim Management Committee (IMC), Orrin Gordon, had indicated to him that he is not aware of any bylaws governing the operations of the bridge. “So you have the bridge law Chapter 51:04 and you have the by-laws and these guide what we do here, we don’t operate haphazardly,” he said.

Proposal

The Minister went on to say that he had advised for the Council to send a draft of their proposed toll increases to the Ministry so that he can take the proposal to Cabinet for its no objection. He noted that Cabinet had raised some concerns, some of which he could not have answered. As such, Whittaker disclosed, that a meeting has been arranged for him, along with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Winston Brassington, to meet with the IMC Chairman, the Heads of the Works and Finance Committees of the IMC and the Town Council today.

The meeting is being held to obtain answers to questions raised by Cabinet. Brassington has been included in the discussions since NICIL is the agency responsible for the collection of tolls at the bridge after LINMINE was privatised.

The Local Government Minister revealed that the M&TC receives 25 per cent of all tolls collected.

“I am confident that we will be able to reach an amicable settlement in terms of how we move forward and by amicable settlement I mean to all parties because the maintenance of that bridge is funded primarily by the Government of Guyana through its Ministry of Public Works and to a lesser extent, BOSAI… well the municipality is in a bad shape and we don’t expect them to do it and they don’t,” he said.

Last month, Gordon had announced the bridge tolls will be increased effective from September 1. He said the decision was made jointly by the Linden M&TC and the Bridge Committee.

The increase was not taken lightly by vehicle users and residents; however, Gordon

explained to this newspaper in a previous interview that the cash-strapped municipality had “no choice” but to increase the fares. He pointed out that the Council’s financial situation is a dire one, while adding that its budget was not approved and a requested subsidy of $33 million was also refused.

Addressing the issue of the Linden Municipality’s financial situation, Minister Whittaker disclosed that he had met with the municipality about a month ago when it was indicated to him that the problems it is facing stems from poor management of its financial resources.

Discussion

“I said to them that they are not doing the things that we had discussed and agreed on that will allow them to increase their revenue inflows and going after those people who owe rates and who owe market fees etc, while simultaneously looking to curb unnecessary expenditure and unnecessary high increases in employment costs,” he said. The Minister added that during the meeting, he will be bringing back these issues to the table.

According to the Minister, he had given permission to the municipality to transfer funds from the market account to the general account in order to pay salaries; however, he explained that this was done with the understanding that the funds will be replaced by December 31. He noted that this was done for the months of August and September.

Racin fuh de King Liar crown

People who scampish does have to lie a lot to hide whah ever wickedness dem involve in. Some who scampish does also be stupid and dem does lie and fuhget whah dem lie about. But dem does get ketch when dem fuhget whah lies dem tell before.

That is why Lord Nelson sing about all de liars who been in a competition to see who coulda tell de best lie and become “King Liar”. It look like that is whah Rum Jhaat doin now and he runnin fuh de King Liar crown. And is no coincidence that he is a lawyer, because liar and lawyer does go hand in hand.

Rum Jhaat cross he heart and swear to de Almighty when he promise big time that de KFC Leader gon be one colour fuh one elections and another colour fuh another elections. And every ting been goin good until de last elections.

Now, Rum Jhaat already blind, but it mean that he now either get colour blind as well, or it musbe that he couldn’ta remember the lie whah he tell de Guyanese people a couple of years ago. And remember this is a man who seh he don’t tell lie, which is another lie by itself. Plus he seh that he does see every ting whah going on in de country. But yet he was blind to NoGel Hugly wickedness and blind to Cat Hugly scampishness wid de Amaila Falls people. Plus he was blind to he own crookishness wid de Specialty Hospital people.

So Rum Jhaat ain’t such a good liar after all and it look like he might lose de crown to de paper man who racin to be King Liar, both wid he paper and he own mouth. Paper man drivin a Lexus, keepin de Lexus, parkin de Lexus, and puttin sticker pun de Lexus. Yet de paper man seh he borrow de Lexus.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! You hear lie? That is lie. And people who lie does go to hell before dem die!

OAS Secretary General: Democracy is better than ever in Region

Organisation of American States (OAS) Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, asserted that democracy is healthier than ever in the region and, while noting that there are specific challenges that must be addressed such as institutional strengthening, he added that for the first time in the history of the Hemisphere there are 34 countries with democratic Governments.

On the last day of the XVIII Annual Conference of the Development Bank in Latin America (CAF), the OAS and the Inter-American Dialogue, in a panel on the 20th anniversary of the summits of the Americas, Secretary General Insulza recalled that the meetings of Heads of State and Government of the Region were created to discuss various issues related to the Hemisphere’s integration and not exclusively, as erroneously believed, to discuss economic matters.

Two decades after the first hemispheric conclave, he continued, these debates have had a positive impact as the 34 countries, which participated in the event in 2012 in Cartagena de Indias, have democratic regimes.

“This is not told, but never before in the Region has democracy been as widespread as in the past two decades,” he said.

The head of the OAS also noted with appreciation, as another key element in the political evolution of the Region over the past last 20 years, the adoption in 2001, within the hemispheric institution, of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which he described as “a major democracy programme”.

The Secretary General pursued his analysis by noting that democratic development has been positive in all cases,

but has also been uneven.

“There are countries that are more advanced in terms of democracy, and there are others that face issues with freedom of expression and the independence of the Judiciary,” he added. To explain the reasons for that imbalance, he quoted the Argentine political expert Guillermo O’Donnell, who analysed the problem of “warlordism” in Latin America and argued that the concept of accountability “is relatively new”.

In that context, Secretary General Insulza rejected the view of those who are in favour of intervening in the internal affairs of countries.

“The time for intervention is over; we must now give priority to dialogue; issues must be solved through political dialogue,” he strongly stated. With regard to the Summits of the Americas’ thematic discussion, the OAS Secretary General said that there is consensus in the Region that the main and most immediate goal should be to work towards social inclusion in order to end inequality.

Regarding the debate on inviting Cuba to the next Summit, which will take place in Panama in 2015, Secretary General Insulza

indicated that it is the host country “who determines the agenda and the participants”, and expressed his support for the inclusion of the Caribbean country. Making an analogy with another key issue, he noted that there “seems to be consensus that the war on drugs over the last 40 years has not worked; what to say then about a blockade against Cuba, which is 52 years old?”

The OAS Secretary General also referred to the OAS Special General Assembly that will be held on September 19 in Guatemala City to discuss the drug problem.

“We are on track to reach agreement on four areas: drugs are a public health issue; we must rely on alternative sanctions before to incarceration; it is necessary to reaffirm the fight against organised crime; and we have to support institutional building.”

To illustrate the advances made in the focus on open debate by the OAS Report on the Drug Problem in the Americas (Analytical Report and Scenarios Report), he described as a move forward the fact that “at present, the United States no longer speaks of the war on drugs”,

meaning that policies to deal with the phenomenon have changed.

The keynote speaker on the second day of the XVIII Annual Conference of the CAF was former Secretary General of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) and former President of the InterAmerican Development Bank Enrique Iglesias, who spoke on “the processes of global integration and insertion of Latin America”.

The Uruguayan politician and economist said that currently “the world is in a process of great instability, great

potential conflicts,” mentioning as an example the situation in the Middle East, North Africa, the border between Russia and Ukraine, or the South China Sea. In that context, he said, “the United States has a tendency to retreat, creating a significant gap. It is a dangerous world with components that have been triggered, such as the religious component, and with struggles that are reminiscent of the Middle Ages”.

Parallel to this, he said “we are facing the greatest economic power redistribution in the history of mankind, from West to East and from North to South,” citing the emergence of two mega-treaties with free-trade negotiations between the United States, Canada and the European Union on the one hand, and the free-trade talks among a dozen countries bordering the Pacific Ocean, among which are the United States, Japan, Australia and several Latin American countries.

In this regard, Iglesias call for unity in the Region and regretted that the Region is divided into two blocks –one made up of countries that look toward the Atlantic, and the other of countries that look toward the Pacific.

Times Notebook

Ebola is a real threat to Guyana’s health, security

Finally, the world is paying attention to a killer virus that has given us many warnings before. Since 1976, Ebola has made appearances in several parts of Africa, each time leaving a number of persons dead on its trail.

Yet it commanded little attention until its latest appearance in 2014. Now at least five countries have ongoing Ebola outbreaks and more than 1800 persons have died.

Guyana has announced it is developing an Ebola prevention and control programme. Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica have done the same. Developed and developing countries outside of Africa now believe there is a credible threat of an Ebola outbreak and have decided that they need to put together emergency responses in case of an Ebola attack.

The Prime Minister of Trinidad has called for a Caricom Heads of State meeting to discuss a possible Ebola outbreak in Caribbean countries. The head of the Caribbean Public Health Agency has warned that the threat of Ebola’s entry in this Region is real.

President Donald Ramotar has also addressed the present Chikungunya epidemic and the threat of Ebola arriving on Guyana’s shores. The President has mandated the Health Ministry to take every precaution to bring the Chikungunya epidemic under control. Ebola is a threat to our health and security.

Inadequate response

Should Ebola make an appearance in a developed country, it will perhaps be quickly contained. But the present Ebola outbreak in Africa is clearly indicative that the weak health systems in many developing countries make it impossible to contain the Ebola virus.

But the World Health Organisation (WHO) is not in a position today to respond to the Ebola outbreak in Africa. This is because WHO is starved for financial resources. The global premier health organisation has not been provided with the support it needs to develop and implement effective programmes to help countries to avoid and to re-

spond to dangerous killer pathogens like Ebola.

In recent years, WHO has had to reduce the number of experts it retains on staff for quick support to countries whenever they are faced with new outbreaks. The 2014 Ebola outbreak in Africa is testimony to the reduced capacity of the WHO to respond.

Global scandal

The sloth in response to the Ebola outbreak is a global scandal. WHO took five months before it called a public health emergency. The US and European countries took a wait-and-see approach and they took many months before they sought to provide meaningful support to the African countries.

It has taken the world far too long to pay attention to this deadly virus. The 2014 Ebola outbreak in five different West African countries so far represents 16 times since 1976 that Ebola has made its appearance in a violent call for attention.

In all previous occasions before 2014, it attacked countries in East Africa and Central Africa. Clearly, Ebola is spreading its violence far and wide. While Africa is its geograph-

ic sphere at this time, Ebola is giving another kind of warning – it is preparing to spread its violent presence to countries outside Africa.

The public messages and the awareness campaigns in West Africa and in Africa before the realisation that the 2014 Ebola epidemic is more than a passing appearance have been pathetic. This mistake is also being made in other countries where Ebola has never appeared.

Guyana and Caricom must not feel buffered from Ebola and we must begin an awareness campaign now. We see big billboards, for example, about Caribbean Wellness Week, but nothing to warn people about the threat of Ebola. Ebola can come to the Caribbean. It will come, sooner than later.

In Trinidad last week, there were strong rumours of an Ebola case in that country. Such rumours can cause panic, but also in a real Ebola outbreak can prevent effective responses. In Africa, for instance, rumours have led to people not going to the health centres because they believe that hot water, salt, chocolate, and onions can cure Ebola.

The Health Ministry must take strong leadership

in ensuring vital information is made accessible and transparent. The people must be confident that the information coming from the Health Ministry is authentic, accurate, and transparent.

The most worrying vector of spread for Ebola is the traveller. In this Ebola outbreak, the five countries affected share very porous borders, where the disease could easily hop across in people moving around for work or to go to the market.

But thousands of persons have travelled from these countries to countries outside of Africa, including Guyana and the Caribbean. This is the new normal and we should rewrite how public health officials think about Ebola going forward. If and when Ebola comes, Guyana must be prepared for quick recognition and containment.

Readers are invited to send their comments by email or Facebook to times. notebook@gmail.com.

monDAY, september 8, 2014 | guYAnAtimesgY.com

Top schools blank Entrepreneurship at CAPE

… lack of teaching materials, personnel cited

BY VAHNU MANIKCHAND

Anumber of the top Sixth Form schools across the country are not ready to offer the Entrepreneurship programme at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) in the new academic year, contrary to what has been proffered by senior education officials here.

Queen’s College, Bishops’ High, St Rose’s High and Saints Stanislaus College have all confirmed that they will not be offering the subject, which was one of five new disciplines launched by the Caribbean Examination Council earlier this year.

CAPE classes are set to commence today. Deputy Chief Education Officer (Development) Doodmattie Singh had recently told this newspaper, that teachers of Sixth Form schools were trained to deliver the new curriculum and that all the schools would be offering all the subjects.

New subjects

The introduction of the five subjects, particularly Entrepreneurship, is seen as a step in the right direction, a possible gateway out of poverty for many, and the prime ingredient to unleash the country’s human and physical potential.

Observers say that the traditional curriculum inherited from the British had been heavy on the “classics” which included Latin, Greek and Literature.

However, after Independence, even though each administration had attempted to introduce subjects such as Agriculture, Accounting and other Business subjects, Guyanese youths were still not imbued with the willingness to evaluate risks so as to undertake them and transfer their knowledge into viable products and services. This is the lacuna that the course on Entrepreneurship would fill.

In May last, CXC an-

nounced the introduction of five new subjects to the CAPE curricula. These are Agriculture Science, Entrepreneurship, Performing Arts, Physical Education and Sports and Tourism.

Guyana Times contacted several of the schools that do CAPE and almost all of them indicated that they are offering some of the new subjects, except Entrepreneurship.

In Georgetown, Queens College has indicated that they are not certain about offering Entrepreneurship, although saying that at least three of the five new subjects would be offered. It was noted that while the school is willing to offer the other two subjects, Sports and Tourism and Performing Arts, it depends on whether the students are willing to do those subjects.

Bishops’ High School also indicated that it will be offering most of the new subjects except for Entrepreneurship and Performing Arts. According to the school’s headteacher, Winifred Ellis, they have a problem with the teaching of Entrepreneurship; however, she did not elaborate, but noted that they are hoping to iron out the issue before the commencement of classes today.

Across at St Rose’s High, a senior teacher, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the school will be offering some of the subjects, but teachers and text books remain

a challenge.

Efforts to contact the Mackenzie High School, the only school in Region 10 that offers CAPE, proved futile. The Headteacher of Anna Regina Multilateral, Lalljeet Rooplall, told this newspaper that the school does not have the required number of students to start the programme.

He explained that most students want to get into the medical and law fields, and as such, they opt to go straight to the University of Guyana. Saraswati Vidya Niketan, the only school on West Demerara that offers CAPE, has not changed its curriculum to include these new subjects.

The Deputy Headteacher of the school, Tanuja Gopal, said most of their students are interested in Science so they focus on that; however, she pointed out that they intend to offer the new subjects in the future as long as they have the necessary arrangements in place.

Variety of areas

Chief Education Officer Olato Sam told Guyana Times that with the introduction of these new subjects, students now have an array of subjects from which they can choose.

This, he noted, allows them to explore a variety of areas even thought they might have interests in a particular one. Sam could not have given at the time the exact percentage of the schools that will be offering or have adopted these new

subjects, but he pointed out that, the subjects were introduced by CXC as a result of the demands of participating countries; hence, there must be a need for it.

Meanwhile, in an interview with this publication, Education Minister Priya Manickchand had said that Guyana is rapidly developing and the introduction of these subjects, particularly, Entrepreneurship will be critical in assisting with the country’s development.

She pointed out that teaching Entrepreneurship in schools is one way of informing young minds of ways to contribute to the traditional and emerging economic sectors of Guyana. The Minister added that this will also be an opportunity to match the academic skills of students to that which is required in the working world.

Back in May, the five subjects were launched in participating CXC coun-

tries, with each having a specific theme. The Tourism theme was launched in Barbados, the Agriculture theme in Guyana, the Entrepreneurship theme in Trinidad and Tobago, the Performing Arts theme St Lucia, and the Physical Education and Sport theme in Jamaica.

The introduction of the five new subjects follows the launch of Digital Media in September 2013. This now brings the total number of subjects offered at CAPE to 30.

Ancient County Rice Mill faces blacklisting – Seeraj

Rice Producers Association (RPA)

General Secretary Dharmkumar Seeraj said the Ancient County Investment Inc has until the end of this week to pay off its outstanding debt to paddy farmers on the Corentyne.

Failure to do so will see the rice milling company being struck off the list of millers that market their produce to neighbouring Venezuela.

Speaking with Guyana Times on Sunday, Seeraj said he thought the rice milling company would have paid off farmers by now. He said he was unaware that farmers have not yet been paid for the last crop which ended in April of this year.

Late last year, Seeraj told farmers who were protesting in front of the Tarlogie Farm, Corentyne location that he would make a recommendation to the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) for the company to be struck from the deal. However, that had never happened.

Seeraj said it is somewhat disturbing, since the Agriculture Ministry had already made provision to assist millers in settling their outstanding debts to farmers. According to him, farmers should have at least received between 80 to 90 per cent of the money owed to them. He said he is aware that the company is currently loading paddy to the wharf for exportation.

The Ancient County Investment Inc and the Golden Fleece Rice Investments on the Essequibo Coast, which has been facing similar circumstances, are owned by the same Principle, Seeraj said. The companies, in their contracts are required to make the necessary payments to the rice farmers. Breaching this component of the contract would find them in serious trouble, he related.

Financial pressure

Although expecting a good yield during this crop, RPA President Leekha Rambrich told Guyana Times on Wednesday that rice farmers in the East Berbice District were still experiencing financial pressure because they had not receive payment from the company. Rambrich had revealed that some $200 million is still owed to farmers for the current crop, since selling their pad-

dy in April of this year. Meanwhile, Rambrich told this publication that the close to 4000 farmers on the Corentyne Coast are expecting a good harvest this crop. He said there has been an increase in the yield and acreage when compared to last crop. Rambrich noted that “the yield is looking around 34 bags per acre”. Last year, he said, farmers harvested around 32 bags per acre.

Since last December, the Ancient County Investment Inc has been in dispute with rice farmers on the Corentyne Coast, after a massive protest was held in front of the mill.

Tensions

The farmers had said earlier that the issue was compounded by the high price they are required to pay for manure. Authorities at the mill had said that they were unable to fully pay the farmers because of the amount of stock they have on hand.

Tensions flared among the more than 150 farmers who were given cheques by the mill back in December. When the issue first came to light, some farmers turned up at the bank with cheques signed by the mill’s owner, but were turned away, because they were not valid.

Rambrich said too that among the monies owed to the farmers are payments for transportation and the required two per cent interest fee.

The Ancient Company Investment Inc, in response earlier this year had related that it was unable to sell its rice to the Haitian and Caribbean markets

The farmers and their representatives had converged at the entrance of the company in December to voice their frustration.

No discrimination in award of Hope sluice gates contracts

Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy said that there was no discrimination in the award of the contract for the construction of the sluice gates for the Hope Canal project.

On Saturday, he cleared the air on misconceptions that are being peddled in sections of the media and by some commentators with regard to the project. During an interview at his Office on Saturday, the Minister rubbished claims that the Agriculture Ministry arbitrarily removed construction of the sluice gates from the contract that was awarded to Courtney Benn Contracting Services.

According to the Minister, while the fabrication of the eight steel gates for the outer sluice of the Northern Relief Channel at Hope is part of

the design, it was never part of the contract with Courtney Benn.

“We wanted the Courtney Benn construction company to focus on the building of the infrastructure that will house the gates. I want to make it clear that it was a separate contract from the very beginning,” Minister Ramsammy clarified. That contract was tendered out to the Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC), which itself informed earlier of the completion of the fabrication of all eight gates. Those gates will be installed on the outer sluice once the construction of that sluice is completed.

In terms of the Northern Relief Channel, the only outstanding aspect that is keeping it from operationalisation is the construction of the same outer sluice. As it

stands, construction is in excess of 80 per cent complete. Minister Ramsammy said that if the contractor works normal hours every day, the remaining work should take about six weeks to be completed. In July, completion was anticipated by September month-end; however, a number of difficulties were encountered and the Ministry is now playing a more active role in the execution of the work.

Partnership

“Some of the difficulties that the contractor has encountered can be resolved by the Ministry, and so, all we are doing is working in partnership with the contractor so that those difficulties are removed. I expect that on Tuesday coming, work on site will be more diligent,” he

said.

He noted that while the Ministry is frustrated by the sloth of the contractor, the difficulties are understood and appreciated. He also remarked that the question of liability and liquidated damages is not off the table. “The Ministry of Agriculture and the accommodation of the contractor does not mean that the contractor will escape liquidated damages…,” Minister Ramsammy said.

The Ministry is working with the contractor with a view to increasing the number of hours and days worked, so that construction will be completed in six to eight weeks.

Earlier, Head of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth, had indicated that the Canal should become operational by yearend.

Completion

Minister Ramsammy explained that once completed, the Canal will have to be tested; however, at this point in time, even if it was completed, such testing cannot be done. “One needs water to test it and we are not about to release any water from the East Demerara Water Conservancy, because we are in a conservation period. Every ounce of water at this time is critical, because, in spite of the people joking about El Niño, we have had less rain this year, so far, than we normally do,” the Minister said.

The Ministry is anticipating the usual year-end rainfall which will then allow for the structure to be tested.

The Canal itself is over 90 per cent complete.

“One media house took the time to take an aerial shot to show that there were pieces along the Canal that are not completed. We have deliberately kept those, because those are just couple of hours of work… we have deliberately kept those because of convenience to the residents. The residents have grown accustomed all these years of walking from one village to the next. We have kept those to allow for easy movement in transportation,” Dr Ramsammy explained.

Once the sluice is ready, those outstanding aspects will be addressed. At that time, villagers would have to go ‘all the way around’ to reach nearby villages until the Ministry constructs ‘walk bridges’. These interconnecting bridges across the canal are not part of the Hope Canal project. They will have to be budgeted for in the 2015 National Budget. The

only walkway that will be constructed from this year’s budget will be one between Hope and Dochfour particularly to facilitate schoolchildren.

The Ministry will also be constructing a tarmac next to the Hope Secondary School where buses can stop to take in schoolchildren, rather than them having to cross the main highway.

“We are making preparation for the operationalisation by the end of the year for this Canal. It is important to note, however, that work on this Canal will be ongoing for several years. The dam itself will be continuously worked on, as the earth compresses, we will be adding layers to it,” Minister Ramsammy stated.

While the work may have been moving at a slothful pace, the Minister asserted that the quality of the work done cannot be questioned. The delay notwithstanding, the project is within budget which is $3.6 billion.

Recipients grateful for laptops as OLPF distribution moves to Nonpareil

Government continues its drive to increase the number of people who are computer literate by equipping citizens with laptops.

Nonpareil, East Coast Demerara residents are the latest beneficiaries of the devices, as approximately 140 were distributed to the community recently. Praise was reiterated by residents who gathered at the Nonpariel Mandir, as the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) Project continued its distribution and training exercise for this phase in the village.

One resident, Regina Reid said, “I am so grateful

for the laptop that I received, because it will benefit me and my family, especially my children who in secondary school, you know when they have assignments and so on, they can be able to access information.”

Another resident, Latchmie Lakram stated, “It’s a great effort and I know it would enhance my children especially. Technology is elevating, so we have to see somewhere to start it with the children also.”

This distribution forms part of a phase during which 17,000 laptops will be distributed in 2014. This distribution phase began in

May and will run until the end of this month in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and 10.

This OLPF Programme began in 2011, pioneered by former President Bharrat Jagdeo with a vision of introducing Information Communication Technology (ICT) to families nationwide, via the provision of Internet access, training and skills development. It targets a total of 90,000 families, and since its inception in 2011; this project has provided thousands of families with ICT access and the capacity to keep up with the technologically advancing world.

Petrobras scandal shakes up Brazil’s presidential race

Brazil’s October presidential race has been shaken up by a corruption scandal allegedly involving state-run oil firm Petrobras and dozens of lawmakers, with both leading candidates forced onto the defensive after colleagues were implicated.

The local media reported on Friday night that a jailed former Petrobras Director had named dozens of politicians who allegedly received kickbacks off the company’s contracts.

The revelations are a headache for President Dilma Rousseff, undermining her reputation for zero tolerance on corruption just as she is slipping in the polls ahead of the October 5 election.

It could also hamper Opposition candidate Marina Silva.

But the scandal has given thirdplaced Aecio Neves a fresh rallying call as he tries to claw back into the race.

He is already on the offensive, branding the scandal “mensalao 2” in reference to the “mensalao”, a votebuying scheme in Congress that tainted former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva while he was in office.

On Saturday, the magazine Veja printed the names of those implicated in the Petrobras scandal. Among them were former Governor and Presidential Candidate Eduardo Campos, who died in a plane crash last month; the Minister for Energy and Mines, Edison

the President of Congress’ lower house, Henrique Eduardo Alves; and the Senate President, Renan Calheiros.

Those allegedly involved in the scheme were said to have received a three per cent kickback off the oil firm’s contracts with third parties between 2004 and 2012. The money swapped hands in order to maintain political support between parties, Veja said.

The names were given by Paulo

Roberto Costa, former head of Petrobras’ refining and supply unit, who was arrested in March as part of a Police investigation into money laundering.

Alves issued a statement denying receiving funds from Costa. Press aides for Lobão and Renan said they had no position yet on the issue, while officials at Petrobras were not immediately available for comment. (Excerpt from Reuters)

TT: Poor babies to get support for a year

Trinidad and Tobago

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Saturday gave a sneak peek at the national budget, which is expected to be read by Finance Minister Larry Howai today.

With the budget statement in her hand as she addressed the Congress of the People’s inter-faith service in Montrose, PersadBissessar announced a new TT$500-a-month allocation for babies born to the most vulnerable families. That allocation will continue for the first year of the child’s life, Persad-Bissessar said. It takes effect from October.

She also announced that the rainy day Heritage and Stabilisation Fund would receive a boost, and spoke of plans to promote the manufacturing sector. The PM said plans for the manufacturing sector were part of the move toward diversification of the economy. PersadBissessar also revisited the contentious Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2014, which was passed after amendments were made last month.

She said she “did not care” if it spelt political suicide for her and her Government as long as she did what was right. She promised to call the election when it was constitutionally due next year, warning that it was not due until September 2015. While

Minister

the

Howai is keeping the final figure for the 2014-2015 Budget close to his chest, he has revealed that, just like last year, the education sector will get the biggest slab of the multibillion-dollar pie.

service

with a

In a one-on-one interview with the Sunday Guardian, Howai said that in today’s budget presentation, education would receive 12 per cent of the entire budget figure. (Excerpt from TT Guardian)

El Salvador exPresident under house arrest

Acourt in El Salvador has ordered the house arrest of a former President after he turned himself in ahead of his trial on corruption charges.

Francisco Flores, who was President of the Central American country from 1999 to 2004, will be allowed to remain under house arrest for the duration of the trial, Judiciary Spokesman Ulises Marinero said on Friday.

Flores, who had been on the run since January and was believed to have been in Panama, had turned up unexpectedly with his lawyer at a San Salvador court earlier on Friday. He is accused of misappropriating US$15 million donated by Taiwan for earthquake relief efforts in 2001.

“I presented myself voluntarily and in respect of the law. I don’t think I’ll be able to make any other comments right now,” Flores

said, flanked by Police as he left the courtroom.

After the hearing, Police transported Flores unhandcuffed to his residence in the upscale Colonia San Benito district, west of the capital, where he will remain under 24-hour surveillance.

Dozens of people had gathered outside the courtroom to protest against the former President’s alleged corruption, calling for his imprisonment.

Prosecuting lawyer Bertha de Leon told reporters the prosecution would appeal against the judge’s decision, arguing that Flores should be imprisoned after being on the run for months.

“For us, the judge’s decision is not technically correct; for us, the judge has ignored what needed to be done; he has ignored the circumstances and the facts, and has favoured him with this decision,” she said. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Election League wants Barbuda to be part of mainland constituency

The Free and Fair Election League is calling for campaign finance reform as well as the inclusion of Barbuda as a part of a mainland constituency, among other electoral reforms.

The recommendations are included in its just released Observer Team report on the June 12 General Election. The election watchdog group found that there was “unbridled spending” on marketing and mu-

sical entertainment in the last election and that it was bombarded with reports of vote peddling.

The Free and Fair Election League says the legislation regulating campaign financing is inadequate and should be overhauled with caps on campaign spending. The watchdog group is also concerned about Barbuda where for two elections in a row, the winner was determined by one vote. It says the boundaries commission

should consider making Barbuda a part of a constituency in Antigua, which was the case in the past.

The body also believes that many eligible voters were unable to register as the claims and objections process delayed continuous registration by five months. Despite these concerns, the report concluded that the polls opened on time, polling officers were efficient, and that the election was free and acceptable. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

Flight from Cuba to Venezuela makes emergency landing in Jamaica

An aircraft originating from Cuba en route to Venezuela made an emergency landing at the Norman Manley International Airport Saturday afternoon.

The Aerolineas Estelar aircraft was forced to land because of an oil leak.

Director General of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), Leroy Lindsay, said the aircraft will remain in Jamaica until the source of the leak is identified.

“They’ll be doing their investigations into what may have caused this oil leak and when they discover it, they will have to fix it and make sure it’s working before it is released. Our people from the flight safety division of the JCAA will have to be convinced that the aircraft is in airworthiness condition to depart,” He also disclosed that following the emergency landing, all emergency procedures were put in place

at the airport.

“The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew members left the aircraft. The aircraft will now be inspected by maintenance engineers. The passengers will try, with the help of the airline, to find alternate flights for them to go onto their destinations, but if there are none, we will have to put them up in a hotel,” he said.

There were no reports of injuries. (Excerpt from CMC)

Around the world

Ukraine shelling throws ceasefire into doubt

Shelling and other clashes between Government forces and pro-Russian separatists have thrown the ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine into deepening peril, two days after it took hold.

There was continued shelling throughout Sunday around the port city of Mariupol, after a civilian was killed overnight. Local officials said the woman died when rebels bombarded a Government-held checkpoint on the eastern edge of the city.

Artillery fire was also heard near Donetsk, the main rebel-held city. At least two houses were set ablaze by shells in the rural village of Spartak, just north of Donetsk and adjacent to the airport.

US air strikes target insurgents near Iraq’s Haditha Dam

US warplanes carried out four strikes on Islamic State insurgents menacing Iraq’s Haditha Dam on Sunday, witnesses and officials said, widening what President Barack Obama called a campaign to curb and ultimately defeat the jihadist movement.

“They (the air strikes) were very accurate. There was no collateral damage ... If Islamic State had gained control of the dam, many areas of Iraq would have been seriously threatened, even (the capital) Baghdad,” Sheik Ahmed Abu Risha told Reuters.

The aerial assault drove Islamic State fighters away from the dam, according to a Police Intelligence Officer in the vast western province of Anbar, a hotbed of Islamist insurgency.

A man whose house was struck told the Associated Press that rebels had fired from a spot nearby, and that apparently provoked a retaliatory attack from Ukrainian Government troops.

tack from separatist forces for months.

Blasts powerful enough to be heard in downtown Donetsk appeared to be coming from the direction of the airport early on Sunday morning. The Governmentheld terminal, which has been reduced to little more than a burned-out shell, has been under unremitting at-

Al Jazeera’s Paul Brennan, reporting from Donetsk, said the people of Mariupol and Dontesk who hoped the ceasefire would bring a respite from months of crossfire were left badly disappointed.

“This is a ceasefire in paper form only” he said.

Abbas warns he may end unity deal with Hamas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

has threatened to break off a unity agreement with Hamas if the movement does not allow the Government to operate properly in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking in Cairo ahead of an Arab League Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Abbas accused Hamas of running a shadow Government and said he wanted a single authority and a single system of rule.

“We will not accept the situation with Hamas continuing as it is at the moment,” Abbas said on arrival in the Egyptian capital late on Saturday, in re-

marks published by official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

“We won’t accept a partnership with them if the situation continues like this in Gaza where there is a shadow Government ... running the territory.

“The national consensus government cannot do anything on the ground,” he charged.

His comments came nearly two weeks after a ceasefire ended a deadly 50-day confrontation with Israel in Gaza.

Abbas also accused Hamas of undertaking executions without trial.

Hamas denounced his

allegations as “baseless”.

“Abbas’s statements against Hamas and the resistance are unjustified,” Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.

“It is untrue, baseless and unfair to our people,” he said, indicating that Hamas representatives would meet “soon” with their counterparts in Abbas’ Fatah movement to discuss fleshing out the reconciliation deal, which was inked in April.

Abbas was expected to make an announcement to the Arab League in Cairo on Sunday regarding the unity agreement with Hamas. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Vietnam building deterrent against China in disputed seas with submarines

Vietnam will soon have a credible naval deterrent to China in the South China Sea in the form of Kilo-class submarines from Russia, which experts say could make Beijing think twice before pushing its much smaller neighbour around in disputed waters.

A master of guerrilla warfare, Vietnam has taken possession of two of the state-of-the-art submarines and will get a third in November under a US$2.6 billion deal agreed with Moscow in 2009. A final three are scheduled to be delivered within two years.

While communist par-

ties rule both Vietnam and China and annual trade has risen to US$50 billion, Hanoi has long been wary of China, especially over Beijing’s claims to most of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea. Beijing’s placement of an oil rig in waters claimed by Vietnam earlier this year infuriated Hanoi, but the Coastguard vessels it dispatched to the platform were always chased off by larger Chinese boats.

The Vietnamese are likely to run so-called area denial operations off its coast and around its military bases in the Spratly island chain of the South

China Sea once the submarines are fully operational, experts said.

That would complicate Chinese calculations over any military move against Vietnamese holdings in the Spratlys or in the event of an armed clash over disputed oil fields, even though China has a much larger navy, including a fleet of 70 submarines, they added.

“Sea denial means creating a psychological deterrent by making sure a stronger naval rival never really knows where your subs might be,” said Collin Koh of Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.(Excerpt from Reuters)

The ceasefire – signed on Friday by Ukraine, Russia and the rebels after five months of fighting that killed at least 2600 civilians and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes – had appeared to be holding for much of the day on Saturday, but shelling started late at night. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Obama has branded Islamic State an acute threat to the West as well as Middle East and said that key NATO allies stand ready to back Washington in action against the well-armed sectarian force, which has seized expanses of northern Iraq and eastern Syria and declared a border-blurring religious caliphate.

The leader of a pro-Iraqi Government paramilitary force in western Iraq said the air strikes wiped out an Islamic State patrol trying to attack the dam – Iraq’s second biggest hydroelectric facility that also provides millions with water.

A mix of fighter and bomber aircraft destroyed five Islamic State Humvees, one IS armed vehicle, an IS checkpoint and also damaged an IS bunker, the US military added in a statement.

The strikes were Washington’s first reported offensive into Anbar since it started attacks on Islamic State forces in the north of Iraq in August. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Kashmir city hit by huge flood

Devastating floods have left much of the main city of Indianadministered Kashmir under water, as residents are evacuated or retreat to their rooftops.

Soldiers are battling to rescue thousands of trapped residents of Srinagar and the surrounding region.

The floods, resulting from the late-monsoon rains, have left more than 270 people dead in India and Pakistan.

With hundreds of villages submerged and many areas cut off, there are fears the true picture may be much worse.

Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi flew over the Kashmir valley on Sunday, declaring the floods a “national level disaster” and promising almost US$200 million in aid and compensation.

Five days of heavy rain abated over the weekend, but floodwaters in Srinagar rose dramatically over Saturday night.

Many people were caught unawares by the floodwaters.

“I could not save anything as the Government did not issue any flood warning,” said Abdul Aziz, quoted by Reuters news agency.

“The majority of my neighbours who were sleep-

ing are still trapped in their homes.”

Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted that the situation was unprecedented and worsening as floodwaters moved rapidly through the city.

He said boats had been brought from Delhi to help with evacuations, and the air force was beginning rescue operations in the city.

The chief minister said at least 110 people had died throughout the state, but media reports have put the figure as high as 175. About 400 villages have been completely submerged by the floods, with several thousand others hit. (Excerpt from BB C News)

Arrests over Egypt ‘gay wedding’

The Egyptian authorities have arrested seven men accused of appearing in a video apparently showing a gay wedding.

The video, showing a group of men celebrating on a Nile river boat, was widely shared on social media.

The men could face charges of inciting debauch-

ery and spreading images that violate public decency.

Homosexuality is not explicitly outlawed in Egypt, but gay men are periodically accused of charges such as scorning religion or debauchery.

In April, four men were sentenced to prison under anti-debauchery laws.

A mass round-up in 2001

saw dozens of men sentenced on similar charges. Prosecutors have ordered “medical tests” on the seven men, apparently to identify their sexual orientation. Such physical tests are a long-standing practice in Egypt, but are denounced by human rights groups. (BBC News)

Santa Mission launches “Santac Tours and Travel”

President Donald Ramotar on Saturday cut the symbolic ribbon to commission the first project to be completed under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), Guyana Redd + Investment Fund (GRIF).

Amerindian Affairs Minister, Pauline Sukhai and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country

Representative Khadija Musa joined the Head of State at Santa Aratack village, a riverine community in Region Three where the village launched the “Santac Tours and Travel”.

Also on the occasion, the village and its leaders along with the officials commissioned a guest house and dining hall.

This project has now paved the way for 100 plus Amerindian communities to receive funding for their Community Development Plans (CDPs). According to Minister Sukhai, she was recently informed that the sum of US$6.3 million has been released and is ready for disbursement to the other communities. The Minister expressed her satisfaction over the timely completion of the project and the quality of work that has been done on the guest house.

Congratulations

“This project is one that will forever resound in the minds of all who are here. It is Heritage Month and it is important that you chose to launch this facility and of course the project, which is one among 26 that is progressing. This is the first one that is being formally launched, and I want to congratulate you.”

to follow suit, and indeed it is also evidence to those who feel that investment funds placed in Amerindian people go to waste.”

Musa also lauded the initiative and the residents for what she described as outstanding work.

“It’s really an honour to be here to see the final results, I was here a few months ago and saw it in progress and it’s amazing... I think that whatever you will need going forward from here is quite minor.” The UNDP Country Representative also expressed her satisfaction with the quality of work that was put into the project.

to the project, as well as the Office of Climate Change.

Meanwhile, President Ramotar, in his address, spoke of the many investments made by the current administration over the years in hinterland communities. He recalled that when the PPP/C Government took up office, there were little or no opportunities for hinterland communities, but that has changed over the years.

in Waramadong, 700 children are attending school while there has also been an increase in attendance at Paramakatoi, Region Eight.

The Head of State also pointed out that the largest portion of the national budget goes to the social sector with a significant portion going towards the education sector, and “that is not by accident, it is because we recognise that investing in our people, the human capital is very important”.

According to the President, it has been a proven fact that there is a direct link between education and poverty and with more educated people, the border of poverty is pushed further away.

Hinterland Electrification

eHealth initiatives take off in Latin America, Caribbean

New eHealth initiatives are springing up in countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, in parallel with the increasing use of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the region, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) says.

These initiatives have the potential to improve access to and quality of health care, yet few countries have policies in place to guide their development or exploit their full potential.

These are among the findings presented in the current issue of the Pan American Journal of Public Health (PAJPH), the peer-reviewed, openaccess scientific journal of the Pan American Health

the Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais, Brazil, which allows health personnel to perform teleconsultations and telediagnosis, overcoming physical barriers in access to health care and promoting continuing health education; a Moodle-based virtual education platform that proved more effective than a traditional classroom setting for hospital residents specialising in medical and surgical emergencies; the use of social networks by people with chronic kidney disease, their caregivers, and family members as a support mechanism and to be better informed about the disease, health services, and other patients’ experiences; a mobile app for by teens suffering from lupus, which was developed

The Minister noted that it is remarkable what the villagers were able to do with the money allocated to them as it relates to good management.

She, however, encouraged the villagers not to move away from their culture while executing this project as it is very important and it is what will attract persons. “The world wants to know about you and your culture. It is important to see how you sing your songs, introduce your history of the community.”

She also urged the residents to maintain a very high standard at the guest

“Very few hinterland children had the opportunity to go to school… when we think that today that I can stand and tell you that we are closer to having Universal Secondary Education, that itself is a major achievement for our country as whole.”

Many schools built Under the current administration, over 1000 schools have been built across the country, making provision for every hinterland child.

“Where we can’t put a school in every community, we built schools with dorms, free uniforms, meals, text

“It does not matter how much funding we give, what matters is that we get value for the money and how well you manage it, it will be an important feature in Amerindian development.”

The Minister told the gathering that it is their resourcefulness which brought about this kind of development as it also reflects unity.

“It’s resounding evidence and I call on other villages

house, as well as the service they will be providing.

“I think this community will continue to be an example as we unfold the second phase of Amerindian Economic Development Programme. They create a window for other villages.”

Musa also pledged the continuous support of her organisation towards the project as she thanked the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs for their contribution

books and now the $10,000 grant, this will ensure all our children go to school.”

Pointing to the recent Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams results, the President noted that the country’s top students came from every administrative region, including hinterland regions. As a result of Government’s investment, the President noted that

Speaking about other developmental initiatives for hinterland communities, the President zeroed in on the Hinterland Electrification Programme, which has seen communities being equipped with solar panels. Eleven thousand of those are already installed, and more are to come. Mention was also made of the indigenous communities’ contribution towards the LCDS. He noted that Guyana’s model is being used in places like Indonesia and is now being looked at by Congo.

Meanwhile, with regard to the project which was launched, the President lauded the efforts of the villagers. He called on the residents of Santa Mission to capitalise on the initiative, as it will have several spinoff benefits for their community.

“I join the call for you to look at your marketing, you have to attract people and make them want to come. This can help to develop your craft industry and your market too. It is not limited to people who come here, having the Internet now, the whole world becomes a market where people can buy your goods.”

He also urged the residents to maintain their culture as it will boost their product.

The Santac Tours and Travel is a community-based approach to cultural and heritage tourism. The concept is to promote and preserve indigenous knowledge and skills through interpretation, providing an alternate mean of livelihood and professional development.

This new project, which is the Santa Mission’s CDP under the LCDS/GRIF initiative, will provide tour packages, tour guides, destination management, natural resources management and training. With the new guest house, persons can now plan overnight trips at the Santa Aratack reservation and with the dining area in place, it provides a new atmosphere for company retreats and other functions.

Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO). Devoted entirely to eHealth, the special issue highlights the wide range of efforts currently under way in the region and presents emerging evidence about key factors that determine their success.

“Wisely used and widely applied, eHealth can be a strategic tool for improving access, expanding coverage, and increasing the financial efficiency of health care systems,” PAHO Director Carissa F Etienne writes in an editorial introducing the special issue.

“ICTs are already revolutionising access to quality comprehensive care, bridging many difficulties and enabling primary care to resolve more health issues.”

Among the examples of eHealth initiatives highlighted and analysed in the special issue are: a telemedicine network in Bolivia’s altiplano that has improved access to specialised medical care in remote health centres through the use of teleconsultations and tele-education;

through a workshop in which potential users were the main participants; a Web-based self-help intervention for depression that users considered helpful for identifying and transforming negative thoughts; Electronic Immunisation Registries (EIRs), which are being used by a growing number of countries to monitor vaccination coverage and for automated recall/reminders for target populations.

An original research article in the special issue examines which countries have developed policies to guide and encourage eHealth initiatives. The authors find that only seven countries in the Region have adopted national policies on eHealth, although 19 countries have general policies on ICTs.

The authors conclude that “Governments need to explore various ways to raise awareness about existing and planned eHealth policies, not only to facilitate ease of use and communication with their stakeholders, but also to promote collaborative international efforts”.

Guyana to ship 10,000 tons of rice monthly to Africa

With the rice industry set to begin its peak harvesting season by the end of September, another large crop is expected, according to Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, and there are arrangements being made to ship about 10,000 tonnes monthly to Africa, through a trade group.

Briefing the media on Saturday, the Minister said that initiatives have been put in place to address the challenges faced by farmers.

The focus is currently on premium markets and as production increases, the regular priced market will be tapped into, he said. There is also a renewed focus on value-added products such as cereals and even paddy husk, formerly discarded as waste, will be utilised to see maximum use of all products and byproducts. As part of this effort, the Agriculture Ministry is in partnership with the Energy and Research Institute of India and the Institute of Applied Science and Technology, locally. “We want to ensure that everything that leaves the field is utilised and the farmer benefits, from those additional revenue streams….By 2016, the revenue from rice will be more than rice itself,” he asserted.

Attention is being particularly paid to low yielding fields. “Whilst we have begun to have an average of about 35 bags per acre, in the farms, some farmers have been having over 40,” he stated.

The number of farmers with high yielding fields has more than doubled, the Minister added and only a small number have been realising low yields. As part of a six-point plan, Minister Ramsammy explained that there are no interactions between the high-yield farmers and their low- yield counterparts so that ideas can be ex-

changed with the goal of upping crop production. “We want to determine what are the reasons why your neighbour has a high yield and you’re having low yields. It couldn’t be the soil, because you both are on the same soil.”

The Minister said that the aim is to at least have “low yield” farms attain the average national production level. The desire is not to increase farming costs, but to improve techniques, Dr Ramsammy noted. “By increasing your yield, you’re lowering your cost of production and, therefore, becoming more competitive on the world market… your ability to compete on the global market must see production above 30 bags per acre. At production of 35 to 40 bags per acre, you can compete with anybody in the world for markets.”

Payments

Addressing the issue of payments to rice farmers, the Agriculture Minister revealed that the first crop for 2014 realised in excess of $23 billion in paddy being sold. He made it clear that no farmer was owed money from the 2013 crops. “There were some farmers who were not paid, but those would have been the miller- farmers, be-

cause they owed themselves, and I’m not counting them.”

The Minister estimates that less than $250 million is owed to a small number of farmers for 2014. “In the case of one group in West Demerara, a large part is owed to the group itself. Those who bought paddy, bought from themselves, and they bought from others. They have paid the others off, but they owe themselves. Neither the bank nor the Ministry of Agriculture will take responsibility for that. They’ll have to figure out how they pay themselves.”

The Agriculture Ministry is working to ensure that small farmers are paid off before the peak harvesting season begins. Dr Ramsammy explained that, previously, the Ministry could have assisted due to the fact that the Venezuelan market for rice was about 70 per cent of local production and those resources could have been used to pay off farmers ,”we were the payers and we could have paid directly to the farmers, whatever we owed to the millers”.

He explained that while the quantity of rice sold to the neighbouring country has not decreased, it is now a smaller percentage of the overall market. At present, the market situation has been reversed,

with other markets taking up 68 to 70 per cent of the rice, he added. “Therefore, that amount is not enough to ensure that we pay off the farmers... payments are now made directly to the millers, by whomever buys it.”

Overdraft arrangements

Acknowledging that the Ministry does not have much control over this, Minister Ramsammy said this is being worked on with bankers, and three meetings have already been held, with another scheduled for the near future. “So that the millers have a greater access to overdraft arrangements. They are selling paddy throughout the year, but they only buy paddy twice per year. When they sell, it takes some time for them to get payment from their external sources. We are hoping to use these contracts as collateral with the banks, so that the millers have access to money to pay the farmers. This is a challenge and we are going to continue to work on it.”

With regard to markets for rice, Dr Ramsammy said the local market consumes 120,000 tonnes, annually, the bulk of which is returned to the fields as seed material, while some is also used in stock feed and beverage production. The high crop production means that there must be markets found for 500,000 tonnes of rice. The first shipment of packaged rice to Panama is being prepared and the company that does 120kg packaging has been contracted to do this, with the Central American country making its own shipping arrangements, according to the Minister. He said that four shipments are contractually due to Panama this year and the private sector is also shipping separately to the country, with more than 25,000 tonnes in total expected to be shipped.

Alleged killers of Lusignan teen for court today

Lennox Wayne, the alleged shooter, and Melroy Doris, the taxi driver who confessed to murdering 18- year-old Ashmini Harriram on July 10, 2014 will make their first court appearance today at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.

Wayne and Doris are expected to be slapped with a charge of murder. Wayne was picked up on Wednesday evening and after intense interrogation, he reportedly took investigators to the home of the taxi driver who also confessed to the killing.

Wayne was reportedly paid $2.5 million to murder the cosmetologist. The “hit man” admitted that he was in constant contact with the teen’s brother-in-law who provided information about her whereabouts.

Omesh Singh, the brother-in-Law of the dead teen, and the alleged drug dealer involved were released on Sunday morning after the 72-hour detention period expired. Nevertheless,

Police are continuing their investigation in the hope of finding additional evidence that could pin the teen’s brother-in-law to her murder.

The teenager was shot once to her neck moments after she disembarked a minibus along the Lusignan Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara. On the day of the shooting incident, the shooter reportedly exited a burgundy motor car, whipped out a gun and shot the teen after which he took away her mobile phone and left the scene.

The mobile phone had numbers of interest to the shooter and the person who had contracted him to shoot the teen since they thought she had leaked information about drugs-related activity. The lawmen subsequently linked the murder to two

Peer pressure

Even if we don’t realise it, peers do influence our lives. Just by mixing and mingling with them, we can learn from them, and they learn from us too. It is a natural thing to learn from other people in our age group.

Narine Dat Sookram

For the most part, peers can have a positive influence on each other. For example, one might admire a friend who is always funny and try to be more like him or her. Or it could be we get others excited about our hobby, and now everyone is participating. This is just to give us a few examples of how peers can positively influence each other.

On the other hand though, peers can influence each other in negative ways as well. For example, some kids in school might encourage their classmates to skip class with them, or another kid might want to have other kids shoplift with him. Children want to be liked, that’s why they give in to peer pressure, because they just want to fit in, or they worry that if they don’t go along with the group, other kids might make fun of them. Some children follow along, because they are inquisitive to try new things. Children sometimes leave their better judgment behind, because they imitate what others are doing and are usually influenced by it.

Taking the time to pay attention to our own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help us know the right thing to do. It is not easy to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure, but it is possible, There is an old saying that doing something when you know better makes it easy to walk away, and resist.

This, however, comes much easier to those with strength and self-confidence. Having a friend who is willing to say “no” too, makes it so much easier which takes a lot of the power out of peer pressure and makes it much easier to resist.

Another great thing too is having friends with similar values to ours. However, because of the amount of difficulties with peer pressure, many parents and even teachers will usually advise to make sure children choose the friend they hang out with.

major drug busts connected to some of the suspects in custody. The first bust had occurred in February 2013 when some $1.5 billion in cocaine was found in lumber at Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara. Then on July 8 this year, a large quantity of marijuana was intercepted at Diamond worth $216 million.

Police believe both of these busts were connected with the suspects. A Police source close to the investigations told Guyana Times that the bust in Diamond saw over a tonne of compressed marijuana and more than four kilograms of cocaine being seized by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU). One man was subsequently charged, but two days after the latter bust, Harriram was executed.

The reality is that if we choose friends who would not use drugs and skip/cut class etc, and then they probably won’t be involved in those activities. Even if a child is alone, s/he can still face peer pressure.

However if that’s the case, the child can still do things to walk away from it. For example, they can avoid peers who pressure them to do things that are not right. Always keep in mind that you have the right to say no and walk away from the situation.

And perhaps it’s a good sign to look for new friends. It’s a good idea to always talk to someone we trust about peer pressure. Taking the time to talk to a teacher, a parent or even the school counsellor can help a child feel much better and prepare them for the next time in a similar situation.

Remember though, peer pressure is not necessarily a bad thing. For example, positive peer pressure can be used to pressure bullies into having respect for other children. In other words, if enough children cooperate together, there’s that possibility where peers can pressure each other into doing what’s right!

For questions, comments, feedback, email mcnarine@rogers.com

SUDOKU

By Bernice Bede Osol

(June 21July 22)

If you have been moody lately, it will be necessary to have an indepth discussion with the person causing you grief. Don’t put the blame elsewhere when half of it belongs to you.

20Feb. 19) (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Make an effort to implement positive lifestyle changes. Focus on raising your income by strengthening your skills, strategy and knowledge. If you strive for perfection, onlookers will take note.

Make your own choices. Following someone else’s agenda is not an effective way to advance. Aim to be more independent and self-sufficient, and you will be noticed.

A financial change is apparent. Take a proactive approach and show your leadership ability. If you hesitate, you will lose a valuable opportunity that could bring you clout and economic privileges.

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

(July 23Aug. 22) (Feb. 20-March 20)

A financial opportunity is apparent. Someone may be confused by your recent attitude or opinion. Have an explanation ready, to avoid any interference regarding your plans.

(March 21-April 19)

A career change or a second job will help your financial situation. Jump at the chance to enter into a partnership that offers long-term benefits and equal opportunities.

(April 20-May 20)

Problems will occur if you are too headstrong or persistent. Do your homework before you make an outspoken declaration, or you will have to backpedal to avoid awkwardness.

21June 20)

Consider what selfimprovements will bring the best results. You can learn a lot if you take the time to listen to opposing opinions. An unexpected party has a hidden interest in you.

Keep your plans simple, and don’t take on any rigorous challenges until you feel ready. A little personal nurturing will help you get back on track and be ready to conquer the world.

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

A few personal changes will enhance your looks and mood. Keep an eye out for a job opportunity that could lead to creative and stimulating things. Pitch-perfect timing will be necessary to advance.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Be proud of what you have accomplished. It’s OK to let others see you shine. Your creative talents deserve attention, so blow your own horn and attract new opportunities.

23Dec. 21)

Recent events will open your eyes to someone’s motives. Don’t let what occurs prevent you from expressing how you feel and what you want and expect.

Cricket for Unity 20/20 match…

Kaieteur Thunders pip Roraima Strikers by four runs

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

Spectators filled the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) pavilion, while others lined the outer perimeter of the ground to witness the Kaieteur Thunders edge the Roraima Strikers by four runs in the inaugural Cricket for Unity 20/20 match, which turned out to be a resounding success, both from an organising standpoint and by the quality of the on-field action.

Batting first on Saturday night, Kaieteur Thunders, who seemed destined for a 200+ total, posted 178-5, a score that proved just enough as Roraima Strikers responded with 174-9 at the end of the 20 overs.

Kaieteur Thunders, sporting pink uniforms sponsored by Tiger Sports of Enmore, endured a horrible start losing the burly Anthony Rigby via the run out route in the first over bowled by APNU Parliamentarian James Bond.

Former national wicketkeeper/batsman Sheik Mohamed and skipper Orin Forde, who represented Guyana championship team in the 2006 Stanford 20/20 tournament, then entertained the crowd with a stroke-filled partnership of 86 in nine overs to put Kaieteur Thunders on course for a huge total.

The right-handed Forde was particularly severe on the bowlers, hitting eight fours

and a six in his 44 from 27 balls before he was brilliantly stumped by wicketkeeper Ravindranauth Seeram at 88-2, giving the charge to the legendary off-spinner Clyde Butts in his first over.

Two balls later, Butts struck again, removing the left-handed Mohamed, caught by Attorney-at-Law Charles Ramson Jr. at mid-wicket at 90-3. Mohamed scored a brisk 25 from 26 balls with four boundaries.

With two new batsmen at the crease and the momentum with Roraima Strikers, former national fast bowler turned coach Esaun Crandon

drove home the advantage, dismissing Attorney-at-Law Sanjeev Datadin (05), caught by Jermaine Neblett on the long-on boundary at 99-4 in the 13th over.

Alfred Mentore and David Harper then rolled back the years, adding a quickfire 55 in five overs to revive Kaieteur Thunders innings, before former national 20/20 all-rounder Lennox Cush pulled off some lusty blows in the death overs.

Mentore, the current President of the Demerara Cricket Club and a former national Under-19 player, retired out for 31 (22 balls,

2x4s, 2x6s); Harper made 16 (15 balls, 1x4, 1x6) and Cush smashed 17 from five balls, inclusive of two sixes and a four.

Bowling for Roraima Strikers, Butts picked up 2-4 from two overs, while there was one apiece for Ramson Jr, Bond and Crandon.

Crandon and senior official at Wartsila, Aaron Fraser, opened the innings for Roraima Strikers, clad in lime green uniforms sponsored by Colours Boutique, racing to 39 in the fifth over before Cush removed the latter for five, and then followed with a double strike in the

seventh over to give Kaieteur Thunders the ascendancy.

Off-spinner Cush, with two hat-tricks in regional 20/20 cricket, had Crandon (23 runs, 25 balls, 1x4, 2x6s) caught by Reon King on the mid-wicket boundary, before Seeram was caught by wicketkeeper Mohamed for five at 45-3.

Ramson hit a six and a four in 13, but he soon became the fourth casualty, caught by Cush on the long-off boundary off the bowling of businessman Tony Najab at 68-4 at the halfway stage.

Former national Under-19 captain Andre Percival and

current Chairman of the National Senior Selection Panel, Rayon Griffith, then fought fire with fire, blazing to a partnership of 61 in just 4.2 overs to bring Roraima Strikers back in the game. When Percival was bowled by Cush for 24 (19 balls, 1x4, 1x6) at 129-5, 50 runs were needed from 30 deliveries, and with Griffith timing the ball sweetly, Roraima Strikers were in a prime position to lift the ‘Unity trophy’. Griffith brought up his fifty off 23 balls, and eventually retired in the penultimate over for 57 (29 balls, 8x4s, 2x6s), but not before Kaieteur Thunders expressed some level of dissatisfaction with his move to bat on even after scoring a half-century. Before he eventually retired out, Roraima Strikers lost Butts for five, while organiser of the match, Dexter “Bushman” Garnett, also retired for five, leaving Bond and Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Sport Ministry, Steve Ninvalle, to score 11 off the final over to win the game.

As it turned, Datadin only conceded six to hand Kaieteur Thunders the victory. Cush finished with 4-8 to cop the Best Bowler trophy, while Griffith was named Best Batsman. Members of both sides were presented with Cricket for Unity medallions, while Kaieteur Thunders lifted the ‘Unity trophy’.

Mo Farah claims first victory

Olympic, world and European champion Mo Farah became the first British winner of the Great North Run men's race for 29 years by holding off Kenya's Mike Kigen in a thrilling finish. The pair fought it out for much of the race before Farah pulled clear in the final 200m of the 13.1-mile course. The 31-year-old set a new British half marathon best of exactly one hour.

Kenya's Mary Keitany set a new course record to win the women's race ahead of Britain's Gemma Steel.

Steel's compatriot

won

in the

Farah, who lost out to Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele in a sprint finish in last year's race, came into the event after missing the Commonwealth Games but

winning double gold at the European Championships in Zurich.

He and training partner Kigen pulled away at an early stage and though Farah looked as though he was struggling at times, he stayed patient before making his move to become the first male home winner since Steve Kenyon.

"It feels great but I had to dig in deep out there," Farah told BBC Sport.

"Mike kept on pushing and I just wanted to hang on in there and I knew I had the pace at the end. I

was surprised how well he was running. I didn't think I could run that fast but it is great to finish the season with a win. With 200m to go I pushed but I didn't know how much I still had and as soon as I started to celebrate I saw Mike coming back at me again," he said.

Farah's time improves his own best in the event - just one of his long list of British records which includes the 1500m, 5,000 and 10,000m on the track and 5k and 10k on the road. But he admitted he had "learned a lot" from an "up and down"

year. He added: "Now I want to take a break and relax and get ready for the World Championships next year."

Keitany, the 2012 London Marathon champion who has returned from time off to have a baby, was well clear of the rest of the field and her time of 65 minutes 39 seconds beat Paula Radcliffe's 2003 mark by one second, while Steel set a new personal best of 68:18. About 57,000 people are taking part in the race which was run for the first time in 1981.

West Indies v Bangladesh, 1st Test,

St. Vincent, 1st day…

Benn five-for reinforces West Indies...

The West Indies fielders erupted, and as has happened in the last nine months, Bangladesh wilted. Benn created more chances from his end, bowling three more maidens. Nasir Hossain played out two of those, which forced him to run down at Blackwood and slice a catch to mid-on. It was a strange choice of shot, given that Bangladesh were over 300 runs in arrears with only the tail left, but not quite a surprise.

Shuvagata Hom made 16 off 25 balls, before driving a full-toss back to Benn the bowler in the 55th over. He had added 29 runs for the seventh wicket – the second highest of the innings –with Mushfiqur. Things had looked far less chaotic during the 62-run third wicket stand between Mominul and Shamsur Rahman. The pair had joined together at 18 for 2 and ushered Bangladesh out of a tough spot with the kind of patience that the lower order lacked.

Mominul got to his fourth Test fifty, though he too was lax outside the off stump early on. He tightened up after lunch, finding the boundary when West Indies erred too short or too full. Shamsur too batted better after edging through third slip’s hands

and getting hit on his helmet in the morning. He was out for 35 off 95 balls with five fours while trying to push with hard hands at Benn. Darren Bravo pouched the edge at second slip – his third of five catches. Bangladesh’s collapse would have pleased Kraigg Brathwaite as well. His innings had set West Indies up for a massive total, but he could add only 7 runs to his overnight 205 before his attempted slog off Taijul was caught at short fine-

leg by Mominul Haque. The West Indies opener spent nine hours and 14 minutes at the crease to amass the slowest double-hundred, in terms of strike-rate, in the last five years.

Ramdin had suggested that West Indies could have exploited Bangladesh’s attack better on the second day, prompting Shivnarine Chanderpaul to show a keenness for singles while the rest of the order attempted to hit out. They made 77 runs in 17

overs, but the risks they took also afforded left-arm spinner Taijul Islam a five-wicket haul on debut. Chanderpaul, however, remained not on on 85 off off 226 balls with six boundaries. This was the 34th time he has not been dismissed in 93 Test innings where he has scored more than 50. He was aided by Mushfiqur Rahim when the Bangladesh captain missed a stumping in the 155th over bowled by Taijul. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

KC Brathwaite c Mominul Haque b Taijul Islam 212

A Edwards c Mominul Haque b Taijul Islam 10

DM Bravo c Mahmudullah b Taijul Islam 62

S Chanderpaul not out 85

J Blackwood lbw b Rubel Hossain 10

D Ramdin*† c Rubel Hossain b Taijul Islam 5

JE Taylor c Shuvagata Hom b Taijul Islam 10

KAJ Roach not out 2

Extras (b 5, lb 18, nb 1) 24

Total (7 wickets dec; 160 overs) 484 (3.02 runs per over)

Did not batSJ Benn, ST Gabriel Fall of wickets 1-116 (Gayle, 39.1 ov), 2-133 (Edwards, 42.2 ov), 3-261 (Bravo, 84.3 ov), 4-422 (Brathwaite, 146.2 ov), 5-451 (Blackwood, 153.4 ov), 6-466 (Ramdin, 156.4 ov), 7-479 (Taylor, 158.6 ov)

Bowling (OMRW) Al-Amin Hossain (22-12-43-0), Rubel Hossain (30-1-110-1) Mahmudullah (19-0-64-0) Shuvagata Hom (37-6-104-1) Taijul Islam (47-9-135-5) Nasir Hossain (4-1-4-0) Mominul Haque (1-0-1-0)

Bailey quits as Australia’s T20 captain

George Bailey has stood down as Australia’s Twenty20 Captain to focus on his World Cup preparation and increase his chances of a Test recall by playing more first-class cricket for Tasmania.

Bailey has also made himself unavailable for Australia’s upcoming T20s against Pakistan in the UAE and at home against South Africa, although he has not retired from the format. Australia are expected to announce their squads for the UAE tour on Monday and a new T20 Captain will be required after Bailey held the job for the past two and a half years.

The unusual Australian schedule for this summer would have meant that had Bailey remained in the T20 side, he could have had as few as two Sheffield Shield games this season to press his case for a Test comeback. Instead, he should now be available for four of Tasmania’s five pre-Christmas Shield games; his likely presence at the World Cup will mean he will not play Shield cricket post-Christmas.

“It just made me reflect a little bit on where my priorities lay for the next three or four years and what I want to get out of my career,” Bailey said of his reaction when he first saw this summer’s fixture. “It’s only going to buy me another couple of Shield games this year but longer term it just was something that I wanted to do in terms of working harder on my four-day cricket.

“I know I was picked out of one-day cricket for my last opportunity to play Test cricket and I don’t think that would happen again. I think the only way is through Sheffield Shield or first-class runs. The best chance for me to do that is to play as many Shield games as I can.” Bailey, 32, was one of the beneficiaries of Australia’s change of selectors in 2011-12, when the new Chairman John Inverarity named him as the new T20 Captain despite having never played an international match. His tactical nous was viewed as a key asset by Inverarity, who was keen for Australia to push up the T20 rankings from their place at No.5.

His emergence as an international player led to him becoming a key ODI batsman for Australia and making his Test debut during last summer’s home Ashes, when he played all five Tests in Australia’s clean-sweep. However, although he made useful Ashes contributions

he did not manage a century and was dropped for the tour of South Africa that followed.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the responsibility and honour of leading Australia in T20 internationals,” Bailey said. “Over the last couple of months I have had the op-

portunity to reflect on my role as T20 Captain and the direction I want to take my cricket over the next few years. Personally, I want to focus on my one-day cricket as well as becoming the best long-form player I can.”

Bailey will leave the captaincy with Australia still at No.5, having won exactly half of the 28 T20s in which he has led the side. He captained Australia to two World T20 campaigns but they were unable to reach a final in either of them, although that had more to do with Australia’s struggles in the spinning conditions of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh than Bailey’s leadership.

Just as Australia’s first T20 squad during Inverarity’s tenure as Chairman of selectors installed Bailey as Captain, the first T20 squad named by new Chairman Rod Marsh will need to include a different Captain.

Aaron Finch, Shane Watson and David Warner could be candidates to lead Australia in their one-off game against Pakistan, although going back to Bailey’s predecessor, Cameron White, is another option.

“George is a fine leader

and will certainly leave big shoes to fill as Australia’s T20 Captain,” James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia CEO, said. “I’d like to thank him for his efforts in captaining the country in the shortest form of the game. He is an excellent Ambassador for Australian cricket, displaying great leadership and setting a positive example for younger players around the country.

“He should be very proud of these achievements. We fully respect his decision to step aside from the international T20 captaincy and look forward to seeing him continue his one-day international career as well as playing more first-class cricket. We also wish him all the best in his endeavours to play more Test cricket.” In his 28 Twenty20s for his country, Bailey has scored 470 runs at 26.11. He remains an important ODI player for Australia and should feature at the World Cup, having been Australia’s leading ODI run scorer since the end of the 2011 World Cup with 1772 runs at 49.22. (CricInfo)

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The 28-year-old, who won gold in the event at London 2012, led Blessing Okagbare by two points coming into Friday’s meeting but produced a 2014 world-leading run of 22.02 to beat her Nigerian rival, who finished the race in a disappointing sixth.

Dafne Schippers, who won the sprint double at the European Championships in Zurich in August, was third in Friday’s race and also took third place in the overall standings.

The story of the night was Gatlin, though.

Not content with blowing the field away in the men’s 100m, the controversial American, who has previously served a four-year ban for doping, came back an hour later to produce another dominant performance in the 200m, winning in a superb time of 19.71.

In a gripping men’s high jump contest, Mutaz

Essa Barshim of Qatar and Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko both attempted a new world-record height of 2.46m as the battle between the two for the Diamond went right down to the wire.

Both narrowly failed but 23-year-old Barshim took the Diamond title as his height of 2.43m the second highest of all time gave him the win on the night and overall victory.

Male pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie and women’s shot putter Valerie Adams created history, having already secured the Diamond Race title for their respective events.

The Frenchman won with 5.93m on Friday and is the only athlete to win five Diamond Race trophies, having won the event each year since its inauguration in 2010, while New Zealander Adams threw a winning 20.59m to become the only athlete to win all seven Diamond League fixtures in any discipline.

Jamaica’s Kaliese Spencer underlined her dominance in

this Diamond League season by winning the women’s 400m hurdles in a time of 54.12 to take her to the 30-point mark. Britain’s Eilidh Child was third to give her second in the overall standings.

Britain’s European and Commonwealth silver medallist Lynsey Sharp was joint second in the women’s 800m, running the same time as the already crowned Diamond champion, Eunice Jepkoech Sum of Kenya. It means Sharp finishes third in the overall standings behind winner Sum and American Brenda Martinez, who won Friday’s race in 1:58.84.

There was also a worldclass performance in the men’s steeplechase, where Jairus Birech of Kenya, already guaranteed the Diamond title, did not ease up and became only the 11th man in history to go under eight minutes with victory in a time of 7 minutes, 58.41 seconds to end the season with a massive 28 points. (BBC Sport)

Germany trumps Scotland

Scotland’s opening Euro 2016 qualifier ended in defeat to world champions Germany thanks to two goals from Thomas Muller.

He headed the hosts in front in a first half completely dominated by the hosts.

The Scots rode their luck in the first half but lifted their game after the break and levelled through Ikechi Anya.

But poor defending allowed Muller to fire in from close range to seal a narrow win, with Charlie Mulgrew sent off in stoppage time for the visitors.

The result is no disgrace and nor was the Scots’ performance after half-time, when they seemed to find a belief that they could hurt their illustrious opponents.

And so they did when Sunderland’s Steven Fletcher came off the bench and released winger Anya with a wonderful pass.

The Watford player, racing from the halfway line, still had plenty to do but as he approached Manuel Neuer’s goal

he showed terrific composure to slide the ball into the net.

That cancelled out Muller’s early opener, which arrived despite two earlier warnings.

The German forward had twice got his head to dangerous crosses the first a bad miss, the second cleared to safety before the third landed in David Marshall’s net.

Anya not for the first timeafforded midfielder Sebastian Rudy far too much time and space on the German right and his measured cross found Muller climbing between Alan Hutton and Russell Martin to loop a header over the keeper.

If the Scots defended that one poorly, the loss of the second was calamitous. A corner from the right was not cleared and the ball fell kindly to Muller who gleefully popped the ball past the Scotland number one after 18 minutes.

Marshall had kept his side in the game with a string of terrific saves, with Marco Reus a particular goal threat.

Germany’s front four Reus, Muller, Andre Schurrle

and Mario Gotze - were irresistible at times, combining seemingly effortlessly and leaving the Scots defenders bamboozled by their movement.

Nonetheless, there were occasional glimpses of Neuer’s goal for the visitors, Barry Bannan seeing an early shot deflected just wide and Anya passing up two good opportunities, one when Neuer was yards out of his penalty area but the winger took a heavy touch and the chance was gone.

Scotland might have had an equaliser in the opening moments of the second period at the end of a superb, penetrating run down the right by Alan Hutton.

He picked out Steven Naismith, who drifted away from two defenders before unleashing a low shot past Neuer but agonisingly a matter of inches wide of the post.

Marshall was twice made to work by Gotze either side of Muller’s second and there could have been a hat-trick for Muller himself, only for the post to deny him just after Mulgrew was red carded for a second bookable offence - kicking the ball away.

And though the outcome was a fair one on the balance of play, Scotland did cause numerous problems for a shaky German defence and can take confidence from the way they matched the World Cup winners after the interval. (BBC Sport)

VVR wins knockout tourney

The Victory Valley Royals (VVR) is the champion of the 20th anniversary of the VVR Knockout Basketball tournament that concluded on Saturday evening at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground, Linden.

VVR routed Half-Mile Bulls 73-54 to take the title and the first place prize of $70,000 that was donated by their former national women’s coach and founder Linden Alphonso.

VVR, who took care of the Amelia Ward Jets in the semifinal on the very night played solid defence that won them the game as Half-Mile Bulls relied too much on Terron Welch, who dropped 40 points in his semifinal against the Kashif and Shanghai Kings.

With VVR’s defence in full effect, their ability to move the basketball well

on the offensive side of the floor caused a well balanced attack that saw Chris Williams leading the team in scoring with 17 points and was subsequently named Most Valuable Player.

Marlon Pollydore also returned to competitive basketball after an accident and dropped 15 points for VVR in the final.

Half-Mile Bull were never able to get their offence going as they tried to play isolation ball that never really panned out.

It was also difficult for the Bulls to score in the paint due to the size difference in the game which proved to be another losing factor for the number five rated team.

Welch was able to lead the game in scoring with 23 points, showcasing his talent as a pure scorer and a future national guard for Guyana.

Serena

Serena Williams beat Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets to win her sixth US Open and 18th Grand Slam title.

The American, ranked one in the world, won 6-3 6-3 at Flushing Meadows in New York. After a poor start from both players, Williams steadied herself to take the first set and found something approaching her best form to dominate the second. The victory moves her to joint-fourth in the all-time list of major winners, alongside Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Williams, 32, has now won three successive titles at the US Open, the scene of her first Grand Slam triumph 15 years ago.

“It was a really wonderful feeling,” said Williams, who was joined by Navratilova and Evert for the trophy presentation, when she also collected US$4 metre in prize money. “I couldn’t have fin-

An early glimpse at School Nationals

By TreisTon Joseph

With the beginning of the new Academic year, the build up to school sports and the National School’s Championships is on the horizon.

However, with more than two months to go to the spectacle that is the Nationals School’s championship what can we expect when the champion does run off in November?

While we might be two months away from the championships, one of the major stories anticipated is the return of Tirana Mitchell.

A Carifta 200 metres bronze medalist, Mitchell has the leg speed that would make any sprint coach clamour to coach her.

Mitchell at 17 had a rough year riddled with injuries and was basically out of competition since March of this year; however, with the rest and hopefully the right training, an inform Mitchell will be expected

by the time Nationals roll around.

The sprinter will have lots of time to run herself into form, throwing away nerves of her previous injuries, especially over the 100 metres.

While a Mitchell win will not be predicted, since the athlete is yet to run an individual event, a healthy and inform Mitchell will definitely threaten to take the female junior sprinting throne.

Another big reason to watch Nationals is the ever consistent performance of Jevina Sampson, while not always the fastest, strongest or tallest; the little dynamite of a sprinter is as explosive and consistent as they come.

With her focus mainly on the 400 metres over the last year, it will be a welcomed sight to see how fast the 400 metres sprinter can go, especially if she drops to the 100 metres as normally tends to do for the school event.

Shifting focus a bit to distance running, it will

be quite interesting to see which surprise long distance athlete Rupununi produces this time around.

Known for their long distance running, Rupununi/ Region Nine always has the tendency to produce distance runners that take the event by storm, whether it be on the track or road, can they do it yet again this year is definitely the question that will be answered at the school event.

Meanwhile, the barrel of male sprinters this year seems a bit empty, as most of the top talented juniors are graduating to the senior level.

This will definitely mean average talent in the male sprinter field this year around unless Linden, who seems to produce athletes every year, brings a young talent along.

However, with most of the male sprinters gone, expect Carifta bronze medalist Jason Yaw to rule the roost at the event.

Looking at rivalries, one

of the most anticipated will be between two teammates in Sampson and Avon Samuels.

Samuels has proven to be a very capable 200 and 400 metre athlete and what she lacks in explosive speed, she makes up with strength and endurance. Both Samuels and Sampson have had their share of head-to-head battle in the past, but with Sampson taking more wins and Samuels the most recent win, both will be aiming to out do each other. All in all, School Nationals seems set to provide a lot of intense track and field action and although two months away, the build up towards Nationals already seems fast approaching.

However, the only outright predication that will be made to end this story is that barring injury, three time Carifta gold medalist Cassey George will dominate in every event she participates in.

to 18th Grand Slam title

ished things in a better way. It is a pleasure for me to win here, I am really emotional. I couldn’t ask to do it at a better place.” Wozniacki, a close friend of Williams, said: “Congratulations to

Serena. She really deserved it today and played better than me.

“She is an inspiration to me on and off the court and an unbelievable friend-and you definitely owe drinks lat-

er!” Williams arrived in New York having failed to make it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam in 2014, but the American looked a class apart throughout the two weeks at Flushing

Meadows. Her dominance was such that she won the title without dropping a set, or more than three games in a single set. The case for Wozniacki heading into the final centred around the Dane’s improved form this summer, which saw her push Williams to three sets twice before reaching her first Grand Slam final for five years.

Wozniacki needed a strong start, however, and two double faults in her opening service game did not bode well. The 10th seed was fortunate that Williams was also struggling in the early stages, the American thumping a second serve well long to drop serve for the second time in game five. But it was Williams who came out on top of five consecutive breaks before finally holding for a 5-2 lead, and converting her second set point after 40 minutes. Wozniacki’s athletic defensive skills had

not been enough to win a set in which Williams was making just 41 per cent of first serves and, sure enough, the American stepped up her game in the second.

Williams broke straight away, albeit thanks in part to a cruel net cord, and went close to moving 3-0 in front after a fabulous forehand winner. It took 61 minutes for Wozniacki to hit her second winner of the match, a second ace, and she simply did not have the firepower to trouble the world number one. A breathless 26-shot rally finally gave the 22,000 spectators a contest to engage with, but it took Williams to within two points of victory and there was no way back for Wozniacki. Williams thumped her 29th winner of the afternoon to earn match point, and fell back onto the court in celebration when Wozniacki sent the ball long over the baseline.

Third Women's Twenty20 international, Edgbaston…

England women beat South Africa to win Twenty20 series 3-0

Lauren Winfield struck her highest international score as

England beat South Africa by eight runs to complete a 3-0 Twenty20 series white-

wash. England won the first two matches by nine wickets and 42 runs, respectively.

Winfield, 24, cracked a superb 74 off 60 balls to help England recover from

Steyn hasn't forgiven Clarke for personal sledge

South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn has said he hasn't forgiven Australia captain Michael Clarke for what he considered to be a personal sledge during the Newlands Test earlier this year. Clarke had publicly apologised to Steyn following the incident, but six months later Steyn feels the issue has not been resolved.

"I haven't really spoken to him [Clarke] much since then to be honest. I don't take many things personally, but what he did say to me I did take personally," Steyn said after his spell of 4 for 34 helped South Africa win the tri-series final against Australia in Harare. "I know he apologised in the media and I should be playing this down.

"But the day he comes and shakes my hand and says, 'I really mean what I said,' and behaves like the way

he should, maybe then I will (forgive him). But for right now, he's not here so I'll wait until I get to Australia."

Clarke had left Zimbabwe mid-way through the competition because of a hamstring injury, but before his departure he said that he had dealt with the issue right after play on the final day of the third Test in Cape Town, which Australia won to take the series 2-1.

Steyn had been involved in an exchange with James Pattinson when Clarke intervened and the problem escalated.

"I would hope Dale and I have a good enough relationship. I'm pretty sure he would front me if he still had an issue with me," Clarke said during the tri-series. "I think my apology at the time was well taken and respected by Dale."

Before leaving the tri-series,

Clarke said he did not believe there had been a falling out between the teams, and that if South Africa had a problem with any of the Australian players, it was up to them to sort it out. His comments came after South Africa's ODI captain AB de Villiers said it would be hard to maintain an off-field relationship if the sledging got personal.

"If they feel like that about certain Australian players that's up to them to sort out," Clarke said. "I think we play so much cricket together these days, especially with the IPL, I think the relationship in my opinion is very good. We see each other consistently through the hotel and from my perspective, unless they're talking about a player that's not in our current group or players who aren't in their current group, from my perspective everyone has been really good.

"If not one player in their team wants to talk to anybody in our team, I don't think it's going to bother anyone. But I think in cricket it's a lot bigger than two teams going their separate ways.

"I think the only issue that I've seen in that South African series was what I said to Dale Steyn during that game and I went and saw him straight after the game. I enjoy having a beer with him so again maybe I've missed something. Maybe there's stuff I don't know about, I'm not really sure.

"But if he [de Villiers] is talking about my incident with Steyn then from my perspective I would hope that Dale and I have a good enough relationship. I'm pretty sure he would front me if he still had an issue with me and I think my apology at the time was well taken and respected from Dale, so he could be talking about other players but I don't really know." Clarke and Steyn are likely to face each other next when South Africa tour Australia for a limited-overs series in November. (ESPNcricinfo)

the early loss of captain Charlotte Edwards and post 126-6 at Edgbaston. South Africa made a bright start with the bat and kept the match alive into the final over.

But two wickets for Jenny Gunn and some fine fielding saw England home. Gunn also bowled a miserly final over to restrict South Africa to four runs when 13 would have secured their first T20 victory over England.

Instead, the hosts rounded off their international summer with their fifth successive limited-overs victory following a surprise defeat by India in the only Test at Wormsley.

Winfield's previous highest score in 18 internationals across all three formats was 36. But she showed excellent timing and power to hit nine fours and a six and almost single-handedly guided the hosts to a competitive total.

"If we're moving women's

cricket forward, we've got to play more aggressive, and that's what I've had the licence to do, especially in the powerplays," said Winfield. "We were a bit off the pace today up top, but we had some good fielding at key moments. Good sides win under pressure and we did that, and had some fantastic death bowling from Jen."

England had made a stuttering start as captain Edwards was out for the first time in the series, and for only four runs. Edwards, who scored 62 not out and 75 not out in the first two matches and was averaging 302 in limited-overs cricket this summer, got a leading edge and was caught by Lizelle Lee running round from mid-on.

Sarah Taylor played the support role in a partnership of 52 with Winfield before she holed out to longoff. Natalie Sciver, Heather Knight and Danielle Wyatt all failed, but Lydia Greenway's 19 not out gave the hosts a late boost.

South Africa made a bright start with the bat but their momentum was checked when Dane Van Niekerk attempted a risky single and was run out by Winfield for 35. Lee was trapped lbw by Gunn before two wickets in two balls swung things England's way.

Natalie Sciver ran out Trisha Chetty for 34 with a direct hit from the boundary and from the next delivery Greenway took an athletic catch to remove Mignon Du Preez. Chloe Trynon and Bernadine Bezuidenhout kept South Africa in the hunt, but Gunn's experience and skill at the death ensured England closed out the win. (BBC Sport.com)

SCOREBOARD

England Women innings (20 overs maximum)

CM Edwards*c Lee b Kapp 4

L Winfield c Luus b Tryon 74

SJ Taylor† c Tryon b Letsoalo 9

NR Sciver st †Chetty b van Niekerk 4 LS Greenway not out 19

HC Knight c †Chetty b Tryon 8

DN Wyattb Ismail 0

JL Gunnnot out 2

Extras (lb 6) 6

Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) 126 (6.30 runs per over)

Did not bat KH Brunt, D Hazell, A Shrubsole

Fall of wickets 1-12 (Edwards, 2.3 ov), 2-64 (Taylor, 9.5 ov), 3-73 (Sciver, 12.1 ov), 4-102 (Winfield, 16.2 ov), 5-122 (Knight, 18.5 ov), 6-123 (Wyatt, 19.1 ov)

Bowling: S Ismail (4-0231); M Daniels (4-0-15-0); M Kapp (2-0-24-1); D van Niekerk (4-0-16-1); MM Letsoalo (3-0-18-1); S Luus (1-0-6-0); CL Tryon (2-0-182)

South Africa Women innings (target: 127 runs from 20 overs)

D van Niekerk run out (Winfield) 35 T Chetty† run out (Sciver) 34 L Lee lbw

West Indies v Bangladesh, 1st Test, St Vincent, 1st day…

Benn five-for reinforces West Indies dominance

Bangladesh’s middleorder collapse on the third afternoon might have been what Mushfiqur Rahim tried to avoid when he chose to field on the first day.

His hopes of trying to protect a brittle batting line-up, a particularly twisted logic considering he had only three specialist bowlers on what had turned out to be a decent pitch, backfired as a giant first-innings score enabled Sulieman Benn to dismiss the visitors for 182 with his fifth five-wicket haul.

After declaring their first innings on 484 for 7, West Indies claimed a lead of 302 runs but their decision regarding the followon would be announced on the fourth morning. Mominul Haque had been Bangladesh’s best hope. But since he was judged caught behind down the leg side on the stroke of tea for a gritty 51, the contest was snuffed out. The stump mic had picked up a noise as the ball passed the bat, but Mominul was swift

with his decision to review.

Inconclusive replays meant the on-field call was upheld. With Bangladesh at 105 for 4, Denesh Ramdin played around with his bowling reserves, conjuring two wickets with the part-time spin of Jermaine Blackwood to further Bangladesh’s slide. Mushfiqur was left stranded on 48, while his side lost nine wickets for 77 runs. Benn generated difficult angles for the batsmen with his high-arm action and did not allow Bangladesh any breathing room, the result of which was eight wickets on the final session. Blackwood had been deployed as a close-in fielder for much of the innings and began his spell with shin pads on. It was clear that West Indies were trying to get something out of nothing and they did when Mahmudullah was trapped lbw in the second over after tea. This was the batsman’s eighth consecutive Test innings when he had not crossed 30.